Need To Know
by Kesterpan
Summary: Sequel to Second law, continuing my FIOverse. Gibbs and Tony face some more personal challenges to their relationship when Tony's father decides to come for a visit. As usual in this series, the rest of the team has an important part to play. Gibbs/Tony slash.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: Finally, the FIOverse sequel to Second Law. A bit of FIOverse history: Gibbs' and Tony's relationship started its transformation in Post Obsession Conversation in May of 2010, with the events of Figuring It Out starting up right after that, and then Second Law beginning sometime around mid-June; Tony moved in with Gibbs in early August. Need to Know picks up in early October, so they've been living together for about two months. It would certainly help to have read the previous stories in this series, but it may not be absolutely necessary. There's some mention of original characters from Second Law in this chapter, and there may be other references to previous events in the series in future chapters._

_Important point: the FIOverse assumes canon up to the end of the season seven episode Obsession, and then goes AU from there, so nothing in canon since that episode has happened. Tony's only dealings with his father have been in the season seven episode Flesh and Blood; none of the rest of the episodes involving Anthony DiNozzo Sr. have happened in this 'verse, so his relationship with Tony is not what it has since become on the show. _

_The usual disclaimers apply: I do not own NCIS or the recognizable characters from the show. I write these stories because I love the show and the characters and have the utmost respect for everyone involved in their creation._

_I hope to post weekly, but can't promise that will happen. Very, very special thanks and chocolate bunnies go out to gosgirl for the beta read on this story!_

**Need to Know**

1: Family

**Home**

Jethro Gibbs jogged up his front steps, reached for the door handle, and promptly crashed into the door when it didn't open. He stepped back a pace, rubbing at his shoulder where it had impacted the door, and sighed as he fished in his pocket for the keys he still wasn't used to carrying. _Two months, and I still can't remember that Tony locks the door._

He opened the door, went through, then pushed it shut behind him, flipping the deadbolt.

"Tony?"

There was no answer. Jethro tossed his keys onto the small table next to the door, then moved forward to stand in the entryway to the living room. _Still not used to these changes either… they're good ones, though._

Tony's huge leather couch took up a good part of the room, and his flat screen TV hung on the opposite wall. There was a console that held the DVD player and Tony's stereo system; next to that was the cabinet they'd finished together just before Tony had moved in, the one that held his movies and music. The walls had been repainted a light cream color, with a glossy finish that brightened the place. Shannon's picture still hung on the wall, with a few others showing her and Jethro together, and one of both of them with Kelly. Tony had framed and put that one up without Jethro's knowledge; the older man had been taken aback, but hadn't been as thrown by it as he would have expected. He still found it difficult to look at the picture for long, but it was getting a bit easier over time.

There was a new recliner as well, one that Tony occasionally fell asleep on while watching movies, and a lamp in the corner that cast a warm light throughout the room in the evenings. Tony had surprised Jethro with it, saying it was time the man stopped living in a cave. Jethro chuckled at the memory, then headed out of the room and into the kitchen to grab a beer.

Tony's touch was evident here too: updated appliances, an island on wheels that afforded more counter space, a hanging rack for pots and pans off to one side. New paint as well, and a framed movie poster on the wall near the door to the basement. There were a few movie posters scattered around the house now. Most of them were classics, movies that meant a lot to Tony for one reason or another. Jethro made a point of watching those movies, trying to puzzle out why Tony chose those particular posters. He could have just asked, but he enjoyed ferreting out the answers, and Tony clearly enjoyed his investigations.

Jethro stretched and rubbed at his shoulder again; it wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't hit it earlier while installing the new shelving units in Abby's closets. He sighed, downed a quarter of his beer, than set the bottle down on the counter and headed for the stairs to the second floor.

Beaker still sat in his chair, and Jethro grinned at the bear, remembering the Saturday a few weeks ago when Tony hadn't been feeling well; Jethro had to go in to work for a meeting in MTAC, and Tony had complained about being abandoned until Jethro grabbed the bear and put it in bed next to his lover. Tony had grinned at him, snuggled up to the bear, and quickly fallen back to sleep. Jethro had taken a few pictures with his cell phone – it was Tony's fault for teaching him how to use it – and when he'd returned after a few hours, Tony was still cuddling with the furry monstrosity.

Jethro took off his shirt, tossing it onto the comfy chair that had previously sat in Tony's apartment bedroom, and went to the nightstand, fishing out a tube of Icy Hot and rubbing some onto his shoulder. He'd started buying the unscented kind as a means of self-preservation; if Tony could smell the stuff on him, he asked a million questions, and the scent was strong enough that it impeded Jethro's ability to sneak up on the man.

Jethro was putting his shirt back on when he heard the front door open, and his name called from downstairs. "Up here!" He headed out of the room, head slapping Beaker on the way out, and jogged down the stairs to find Tony in the kitchen, unloading groceries from plastic bags.

"Hey," Jethro greeted, walking up behind his partner and sliding his arms around him, dropping a kiss on the back of his neck.

Tony turned around, smiling brightly. "Hey back." The younger man reached up, running his fingers through Jethro's hair, then pulled him in for a slow, deep kiss, rumbling happily in his throat. It lasted over a minute, until Jethro pulled away to breathe.

"Wow, Tony… what was that for?"

Tony grinned, then ruffled Jethro's hair. "Reward for locking the door. I'll get you trained yet."

Jethro rolled his eyes. "How do you know my locking the door isn't training you to give me kisses like that?"

Tony thought about that for a second, then leaned in to drop a kiss on Jethro's nose. "Either way. Win-win, works for me."

Jethro grinned and moved to help put the food away.

Tony opened the fridge and took the handoffs from Jethro, rearranging a few things on the shelves to make room. "How was Abby?"

"Excited."

Tony laughed. "Of course. She's always happy when you spend time with her. Shelves done?"

"Yeah. Still have more repairs to do, but she had a date to get ready for, so I'll go back sometime this week if we don't get a case."

Jethro reached for a couple of steaks, feeling his shoulder twinge as he did; he paused to rub at it and stretch it out again, then grabbed the steaks and turned to see Tony standing by the open refrigerator, eyebrows raised. "You forgot the door was locked again, didn't you?"

Jethro rolled his eyes and moved forward with the steaks, giving Tony a light tap to the head as he reached around him to put them in the bin. "If you'd just leave it unlocked, there wouldn't be a problem."

Tony returned the favor, gently bopping Jethro on the top of his head. "Security measures, Jeth. What if someone just walked in and was waiting to ambush you?"

Jethro smiled. "I'd use those super-sneaky Marine skills you always accuse me of using on you."

Tony's eyebrows shot up again. "Should I be jealous?"

"Not _those_ skills, Tone." Jethro reached over and grasped Tony's hips, pulling him close. He kissed Tony's lips slowly, then pressed another kiss to the corner of Tony's mouth, then to his neck, lingering for a moment to inhale his scent. "Those are only for you."

Tony reached up when Jethro pulled back, tracing his fingers over the older man's lips. "Have I told you how happy I am about that?"

"Not today."

"I'm really, really happy about that."

"Good." Jethro gazed into Tony's eyes and smiled, then raised his eyebrows. "What's for dinner?"

Tony threw together a stir fry while Jethro watched. They speculated about Abby's date, Ducky's new coursework, and the convention that McGee had put in for time off to attend. The term 'Comic Con' meant nothing to Jethro, and even after a few explanations, it still didn't really seem to make sense.

They sat at the table to eat, doing so in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Tony had cleared off about half his plate as well as half his beer. "Got an email from Eddie earlier today… says Segel's doing a great job out there."

"Yeah?"

"Apparently he did his first solo interrogation a couple of days ago… Eddie said he was muttering 'channel Gibbs' over and over before he went in."

Jethro laughed. "Eddie say if he pulled it off?"

"He got the confession, so I guess so."

"Kid surprises me."

"You knew he had potential; you'd have kicked him off the team if he didn't."

"True enough. Anything on the lawsuit?"

Tony sat back in his chair. "Oh, yeah, that's the best part. Judge threw out Burrows' claims of gender discrimination. Said there was no evidence to back it up, especially since I was brought in as an impartial observer. Eddie said my report helped, but the kicker was what happened to Fitzy, and the fact that Taylor was placed on leave as well."

"So you won't have to go back to Seattle to testify."

"Unless she can get another lawyer to try a higher court. Scuttlebutt says she annoyed the previous one so badly that she got dropped as a client."

Jethro grunted in satisfaction. He hadn't wanted Tony to go back to Seattle without him.

They finished eating and Tony helped Jethro clean up in the kitchen. As he put away the last plate, he turned to Jethro, giving him his version of Bambi eyes. "Movie?"

Jethro raised an eyebrow and tried to look stern. "It's a Sunday night in October. You don't want to watch a game?"

"None of our teams are playing tonight. I feel like being nostalgic."

Jethro turned to face him and leaned one hip against the counter. "What movie?"

Tony grinned at him. "The Big Chill. 1983, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, William Hurt… other big names too. Several Oscar nominations."

Jethro tilted his head. "I think I saw that one with Shannon."

"You up for it with me?"

Jethro looked at him. "Pretty much up for anything with you," he said, then could have kicked himself for it.

Tony's grin widened, and a glint appeared in his eye. "I have you wrapped around my little finger, don't I?"

Jethro snorted. "With great power comes great responsibility."

The grin slid from Tony's face. "You just quoted a Spiderman movie."

"The comic book, actually."

"Whatever. Every time you do that, you mess with my head."

Jethro smirked at him, then pushed off the counter and moved around Tony to the fridge, giving the other man a firm smack to his rear as he passed him. "Go on, set up your movie."

They sat next to each other on the couch, beer and popcorn at the ready, lights off and TV on. Jethro looked at the DVD case by the light coming from the screen. "Yeah, I did see this. Don't really remember much… why does it make you nostalgic?"

"Just the feel of it… I dunno, tough to explain."

Jethro glanced at Tony, but his partner was settling back, his eyes on the screen. He shrugged, and followed suit, deciding to try to figure it out as he watched.

About an hour later, the film was paused, a little square hopping slowly around the screen while Jethro was on his back on the couch, being subjected to a very thorough investigation of various body parts when Tony's phone rang. Tony muttered something but stayed focused on what he was doing to Jethro's neck, until after about four rings, Jethro gave Tony a light head slap and mentioned rule 3.

Tony sighed and sat up, smoothing his hair into place and adjusting his shirt. He picked up his phone from the coffee table, and answered without looking at the screen, his eyes on Jethro's. "DiNozzo."

"_Hello, Junior."_

**Disruption**

"Dad?!" Tony's eyes widened and he stared at Jethro, who met his gaze calmly and reached out to squeeze Tony's knee.

"_Am I calling at a bad time?"_

"Uh, well, no, I guess…"

"_Ah, you've got some female company, don't you?"_

Tony could hear the smirk in his father's voice.

"No, no woman, Dad."

"_No matter, I'll keep this short. I'm going to be in town in a few days –"_

"Here? In D.C.?"

"_Well, yes, Junior, why would I call you if I was going somewhere else?"_

"Yeah, good point." Tony dropped his free hand and reached for Jethro's, entwining their fingers.

"_So, plan on dinner Wednesday night, the two of us. We need to talk."_

"Sure, Dad, no problem. You're getting in on Wednesday?"

"_That's right."_

"And you're staying until when?"

"_I'd like to stay through the weekend, spend some time with you."_

"Really."

"_Of course."_

"You're coming here to spend time with me." Tony gripped Jethro's hand harder.

"_Now why is that so difficult to understand?_ _I'm your father."_

"You've got to admit, Dad, this isn't something we really do."

"_Yes, well, maybe it's time we change that. Just a minute, Junior." _Tony could hear his father speaking to someone else, followed by the sound of laughter. Then Senior came back on the line. _"I have to go, Anthony. I'll see you Wednesday. Give my best to those lovely women for me… Abby and Ziva. Especially Ziva."_

The call cut off, and Tony lowered the phone to stare at it.

Jethro propped himself up on one arm. "Your dad's coming for a visit."

Tony blinked and let go of Jethro's hand, rubbing at his fingers as he realized how tightly he'd been holding on. "So he says. Wants to meet for dinner Wednesday night."

Jethro nodded. "Might not be a bad thing. He owes you a thank you for that trip to Monte Carlo."

Tony shook his head, then looked at the screen. "Figures he'd call during a movie about dysfunctional relationships."

Jethro watched as Tony reached for the remote, switching off the DVD and letting the screen's blank glow light the room. The older man scooted back a bit while Tony shifted off of his legs, sitting up and leaning against the back of the couch, propping his head on his hand. Tony sat there, staring at the screen without moving. It didn't take long for Jethro to get a little impatient.

"Talk to me."

Tony laughed humorlessly. "Where do I start? Didn't expect to hear from him for months yet, much less see him again so soon."

"Is it really so bad?"

Tony sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Still don't know what to make of how we left things."

"What do you mean?" Jethro reached out and laid his hand on Tony's upper arm, rubbing gently.

Tony leaned toward him just a bit. "It's just… he told me he loves me. I still have no idea what he means by that."

"You think there has to be an ulterior motive?"

"With him? There usually is."

"You think he didn't mean it?"

"I don't know what to think. I can't remember ever hearing him say it before, not even when I was a little kid. Why then? Was it because he knew I paid his bills, got him that plane ticket? Was it because of what you said to him? Was he setting me up for something?"

Jethro moved closer and moved his hand from Tony's arm to his neck, squeezing gently before running his fingers through Tony's hair. "Is it possible he was just expressing his true feelings?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. I have no idea what my dad looks like when he's expressing his true feelings. Everything's a con with him, a game."

Jethro considered his next words carefully. "I made some assumptions about my dad," he offered. "Started to see past those, during that case in Stillwater… we're doing better."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, but…"

"You should give him a chance."

Tony sighed. "Yeah."

Jethro glanced at the screen. "Wanna finish the movie?"

"Not really… kinda lost interest."

They sat in silence for a moment, until Jethro moved to put his arm around Tony's shoulders. "What do you need, Tony?"

"I don't even know."

Jethro nodded to himself, then stood up, squeezing Tony's shoulder. "Switch the TV off, then come upstairs." He picked up the empty bowl and beer bottled, and headed for the kitchen.

Tony watched him go, listened to the noises of things being rinsed and placed in the sink, then watched as Jethro walked past the living room and went up the stairs. He sat there for a few minutes, then quickly switched off the television, double-checked that the door was locked, and headed up the stairs.

He reached the bedroom to see Jethro wearing nothing but sweatpants, the covers turned down on the bed, and a few lit candles sitting on the nightstands. He stood there, unsure of what to do, just watching while Jethro opened a drawer and pulled out some massage oil, then turned to look at him.

"Come on, Tone… he's got you in knots. Let me fix that."

Tony nodded and relaxed a bit, stripping down to his boxers before lying on the bed. Jethro moved to straddle him, poured a little oil on his hands, and warmed it up before getting to work on Tony's neck and shoulders.

"You know this will put me to sleep, Jeth." Tony's voice was a bit muffled by the pillow.

"I know. Nothing wrong with that."

"Sorry… my dad, he just –"

"S'okay, Tony."

Tony sighed, relaxing into Jethro's touch, until he suddenly went rigid and his eyes shot open. "Oh, hell."

Jethro raised his hands and sat back. "What?"

"Dad doesn't know about us."

"Yeah. You want to tell him?"

Tony was silent for several minutes while Jethro went back to work on him. "Not really. I have no idea how he'll react."

"He gonna have a problem with this?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't think so… I know he's had gay business partners, but money pretty much trumps everything with him, so that may not mean much."

"We don't have to tell him, not if you don't want to."

"Prob'bly for the best."

More silence while Jethro worked his way down Tony's back.

"Ya know that doesn' mean 'm 'shamed 'f'us, righ'?"

Jethro grinned at Tony's failing attempts to stay awake and coherent. "I know that, Tony, don't worry. Sleep… you're going to need it."

Jethro kept up the massage until he was sure Tony was asleep; he carefully got up off the bed and cleaned off his hands before blowing out the candles and sliding onto the mattress, pulling the covers up over them both. He turned on his side and put his arm around Tony, who snuggled into him in his sleep. Jethro closed his eyes, but it took him a long time to follow Tony into slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all so much for your response to this story. I'm really humbled by all the reviews and alerts. A special shout out to the guest reviewers to whom I couldn't respond directly: Cuke11, fairlightrose, Nyre, I-girl, kbor, and the anonymous reviewers._

_Chocolate covered strawberry bunnies go out to gosgirl for the beta read – her feedback and conversation about the characters make this a much better story._

_Warning for explicit m/m activity in the first section of this chapter._

2: Anticipation

**Love**

Tony woke slowly, blinking as he chased after the edges of a dream. Something about a green meadow, flowers, and fireflies… but it was gone, and he sat up a bit, propping himself up on one arm and focusing his attention on the man sleeping beside him.

It was a clear night with a full moon; Jethro hadn't closed the curtains, so Tony could see him clearly. He loved watching the man sleep; his lover appeared younger and more peaceful than he ever did awake.

Tony breathed in deeply as he watched Jethro, feeling the same awe he always felt in those unguarded moments when he connected the man he loved with the agent he'd worked with for so many years. He thought of the caustic Marine who'd hunted Ari Haswari before Kate's death… Gibbs had been so remote then, so mysterious. Tony then remembered the playful Navy guy in the squad room in Baltimore, who seemed more like the man Tony now knew so well. Tony had tried hard in those early years to measure up, to earn the rare praise or look of approbation. His boss had gradually let him past the walls and into his life; eventually they'd become friends, and then there was Dana Hutton and ricin, an evening in the basement, a confession of sorts… and here they were. Not that it had really been so simple.

Jethro shifted off his side and onto his back, turning his head toward Tony and smiling slightly in his sleep. Tony stared at him for a long moment, and then, driven by a powerful rush of emotion, he pulled the covers down off Jethro's sleeping form and moved to straddle the man, sitting gently over his thighs, resting most of his weight on his knees.

Jethro woke up immediately, eyes wide for an instant before he realized it was Tony above him. He opened his mouth, but Tony reached down with one finger and laid it gently over Jethro's lips. One eyebrow quirked up a bit, but Jethro closed his mouth and just lay there, looking up at Tony.

Tony leaned forward, placing his hands on Jethro's shoulders and leaning in to lightly kiss his lips. He ran his hands down Jethro's arms, linking their fingers for a moment before releasing them and grasping Jethro's wrists, all the while kissing him slowly, his tongue occupied with Jethro's. Tony felt Jethro stretch and shiver slightly as he increased the pressure on his wrists; he pulled until Jethro's hands were pinned to the pillow above his head.

Jethro groaned quietly as Tony settled his weight over him, pressing him down into the bed. Their kisses became more intense, mingled with nips and low growls. Jethro struggled against Tony's hold, just enough for Tony to strengthen his grip and move his head to scrape his teeth over Jethro neck. Jethro arched his back, pressing up against his lover, closing his eyes and inhaling sharply.

That was enough to spur Tony on; he shifted his grip to enclose both of Jethro's wrists in one hand, reaching down to fight with his own boxers and Jethro's sweat pants, yanking them both out of the way and pressing his hips down into Jethro's, rubbing their cocks together. Jethro gasped and Tony's mouth returned to his partner's lips, trying to catch the escaping air. Tony rotated his hips and both men groaned low in their throats at the sensation, their cocks sliding a little more easily as fluid spread and mingled. Tony shifted his weight so he could reach between them, lightly running his fingers over the tips of both their erections, capturing Jethro's mouth in his again as the man's hips bucked in reaction. He spread their pre-come over their shafts, squeezing Jethro's wrists harder, triggering a small burst of fluid as Jethro writhed beneath him. More hip motion and Jethro was gasping and gritting his teeth as Tony moved back to his neck.

Tony removed his hand and let his hips fall into a rhythm; their cocks pressed together and slid easily now. He kept his grip on Jethro's wrists, having to work harder to keep his hands trapped as Jethro fought against the pace, wanting more. His free hand reached up to grasp a handful of Jethro's hair, pulling his head back a little as he sped up the motion of his hips, pressing harder, then releasing. Jethro gasped and tried to use his legs to flip Tony over, but Tony knew that move and countered by wrapping his legs around Jethro's and centering his weight more firmly.

Jethro could barely move now; Tony slowed the pace, feeling the tension in Jethro's muscles and the throbbing in his cock, knowing he was close. He held himself back, wanting to experience Jethro's release… slowing even more, but grinding down forcefully, he moved his mouth to Jethro's ear.

"Love you, Jeth… so much…"

Jethro arched up against him, crying out incoherently as he came. Tony moved quickly to capture his mouth again, muffling the sound and holding Jethro tightly, letting his lover's convulsions trigger his own release, barely registering his own cries as he buried his face in Jethro's neck.

They lay there for a moment, gasping and shaking, Tony still gripping Jethro tightly until the last of the tremors left his own body and he relaxed, his grip on Jethro's wrists and hair turning to gentle caresses. He let go, shifting on to his side, and Jethro followed, their arms going around each other, their legs entwining.

Jethro leaned in to kiss Tony's lips, followed by his cheek, and then his neck. He gently stroked Tony's back and neck, then pulled back to meet Tony's gaze. "I love you too, Tony. More than I can say."

They held on to each other, neither one wanting to let go, until they feel back to sleep.

**Work**

"Goin' for coffee."

Tony's eyes lingered on Gibbs as the man strode to the elevator.

"Things are going well at home, Tony?"

"Hmm?" The elevator dinged, and Gibbs turned to glance back at Tony, shooting him a wink as he stepped out of sight. "Uh, what? Ziva?"

Ziva tilted her head and smirked at him. "You seem quite distracted this morning. McGee asked you three times for information, and you did not respond."

"I didn't? What was I doing?"

Ziva sat up and resumed typing at her computer. She shot him a smug look. "You were staring at Gibbs."

"No, I wasn't – really?"

"Yes, really. McGee gave up and went to see Abby."

Tony gave her a sheepish grin. "Guess I am a little distracted this morning."

"I am thinking it started out as a very… _good_ morning."

"Zip it, Probette… wonder why I haven't gotten head slapped if I've been that bad?"

Ziva sat back and smiled at him. "Perhaps because he has been staring at you just as much?"

"He has?"

She laughed. "The two of you are extremely amusing. You stare at him as soon as you think he will not notice, and he stares at you when he is sure you are busy."

Tony grimaced. "Sorry about that. I'll rein it in."

Ziva got up from behind her desk and walked purposefully over to him, placing one hand on his desk and leaning in close. "You need not apologize. You are happy. He is happy. This is a good thing, Tony." She planted a kiss on his cheek. "You both deserve it."

"Thanks, Ziva."

She nodded at him, then turned and went back to her desk, clearing her throat as she sat back down. "And if you both stay happy, I will win the pool."

Tony sat up quickly. "What pool?"

"The one about how long you will go without a knock up fight."

Tony blinked. "First of all, I can guarantee you no one is knocking anyone up. Second of all, who's in on this travesty? Why does everyone assume we're going to get into a fight?"

"Because you are both headstrong, stubborn men," Vance cut in, as he came around the corner. "We've already rotated through several times – do us all a favor and get pissed off. Just wait until next week… I've got Monday through Wednesday." He looked around the bullpen. "Where's Gibbs?"

"Coffee," Tony said.

"Of course," Vance muttered. "Tell him to come up to MTAC when he gets back."

Both Tony and Ziva tossed out acknowledgements, then fell silent as Vance left, sending Tony an amused glance as he walked past. They waited in silence until Vance was back up at the top of the stairs, and then Tony leaned over his desk, hissing at Ziva. "You brought _the director_ in on a pool about when Gibbs and I will have a fight?"

"We did not bring him in, Tony," she replied, then stopped to glance over at Gibbs as he walked past them.

"He started it," Gibbs supplied helpfully.

"Oh, hi, Boss," Tony grinned at him. "Vance wants you –"

"- up in MTAC. I know." He moved briskly to the stairs; Tony swiveled his chair to watch him go up, and then looked back at Ziva.

"At least tell me Gibbs doesn't have a stake in that pool!"

Ziva smiled, but said nothing.

Gibbs returned over an hour later; McGee had come back earlier and finally gotten the answers he wanted. Tony had tried to ask more about the pool, but McGee played dumb and Ziva just smirked when Tony tried to play the boss card.

The rest of the day was devoted to research on the latest chatter out of the Middle East; Vance had them working on threat assessment since they hadn't had a case in almost a week and Pearson's team was already on cold cases. Around 5 p.m., Tony glanced at Gibbs and got a slight tilt of the head, to which he nodded and then spoke up, "McGee, Ziva, take off. We'll pick this up again in the morning."

He and Gibbs continued to work for another hour, until Gibbs shut off his computer, stretched a bit, and looked at Tony. "Pizza and football?"

"Jets and Minnesota… sounds like a plan."

They cleared their desks, switched off lamps, and headed for the elevator, not noticing how they moved in sync. The elevator was empty when it arrived, and they both leaned against the back wall, hands brushing together.

"Gonna tell the team about your dad?"

Tony sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Have to, right?" He tilted his head back and bumped it gently against the wall. "They need to know that he doesn't know and that we… well,_ I_ don't want him to know."

Gibbs turned his hand to grasp and squeeze Tony's. "Whatever you want is fine with me, Tony. You know that."

"Thanks, Jeth." Tony smiled at him. "Sausage and extra cheese?"

"Works for me."

**Armor**

Gibbs kept a close eye on Tony the next morning, although for a different reason than he'd had the previous day.

Monday evening had been relaxed, eating in front of the football game, which the Jets won, to Tony's delight. They'd gotten in the habit of backing opposing teams when they didn't care who won, to make the game more interesting. Sometimes they got so caught up in going against each other that their verbal jabs escalated into couch cushion fights, or, even more fun, wrestling matches. A few of those wrestling matches ended up with one or both hunting for discarded clothes at the end of the game.

This time had been quiet, comparatively speaking. Neither of them had mentioned Senior's upcoming visit. The night had ended with Tony trying unsuccessfully to discover how Gibbs knew so much about the pool, a discussion that degenerated into increasingly silly ideas for what they could fight over, until they fell asleep.

Then things changed. Gibbs woke early, and was downstairs before Tony was even out of bed. When Gibbs had called up about leaving, Tony had shouted down for him to go ahead, he'd see him at work. Gibbs ended up in MTAC again with Vance; once he'd gotten back to his desk, Tony was there, dressed in one of his best suits, buried in data and intel for the threat assessment. Ziva and McGee were working feverishly, shooting concerned glances Tony's way; Gibbs' too, once he was back to working at his desk.

When McGee offered to buy lunch and Tony turned him down to keep working, Gibbs knew he had to do something. He sent a quick email, telling the team to meet for lunch in Abby's lab. McGee followed up with another email confirming that the first one really was from Gibbs before he and Ziva went out to pick up lunch for everyone.

Gibbs watched Tony for a few minutes while the younger man kept working, then sighed and got up, heading for his partner's desk. "I'll have lunch with everyone downstairs – tell 'em if you want me to."

Tony's head snapped up and he gave Gibbs a weak smile. "That would be great, Jethro… I'm just not in the mood to deal with it right now."

Gibbs nodded and squeezed Tony's shoulder, then headed for the back elevator and Autopsy, where he listened to Ducky tell a story about the invention of golf until Abby called to tell them that lunch had arrived.

McGee and Ziva had collected enough chairs for everyone to sit at Abby's evidence table. Gibbs quirked an eyebrow at McGee as he sat. "I gave Tony his lunch on the way down here, Boss." Gibbs grunted his thanks and turned his attention to his lunch.

Abby turned to look at him. "What's up with Tony, Gibbs? He's all serious today."

"Yeah," Palmer chimed in. "He's dressed to the nines, wearing those really great Guerrini boots, you know, the brown ones with the double-gore construction and the cap toe…" His voice trailed off as Gibbs stared at him, frozen in the act of biting into his sandwich. McGee and Abby exchanged glances and tired not to laugh, while Ducky shook his head and smiled indulgently.

Gibbs resumed chewing, swallowed, and took a sip of his coffee. He sat back a bit and looked at his team. "Tony's father called on Sunday. He's coming for a visit, hasn't said why." He cleared his throat. "Tony hasn't told his father about us, and we'd both appreciate it if you didn't say anything to him."

Abby and Ziva both started talking at once. Gibbs ignored them in favor of the hand Ducky laid on his arm. "Is Anthony worried that his father may not view your relationship with a kindly eye?"

The two women fell silent. Gibbs shrugged. "Their relationship is… complicated."

"Senior is such a charming man," Ziva began.

Ducky turned to her. "My dear girl, charm can hide many things."

"He's a bit… patronizing, I guess, with Tony, sometimes," McGee commented. "But he doesn't seem like a bad guy."

"I dare say our Anthony knows him far better than we do, Timothy. We might serve him best by taking our cues from him."

Abby nodded. "Yeah… Tony's all decked out, which means he's not happy. At first I thought you guys had a fight, Gibbs, which would have been cool 'cause I would have won the pool, but it wouldn't be cool 'cause I don't want you to fight."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "We're not going to fight, Abs."

"All couples fight, Gibbs," Ziva said, disbelief clear in her voice.

Gibbs shrugged. "Haven't so far."

"Ah, then you very well may be overdue." Ducky smiled at him, then turned his attention back to his food.

"Anything in particular you want us to do, Boss?" McGee asked.

"Just keep quiet about us. Act normally."

"Or as normal as this bunch gets," Palmer chimed in. He poked around in his salad, then looked up to see everyone staring at him. He gave a nervous laugh, then started to explain, only to be cut off when Gibbs lightly slapped him upside the head.

They finished eating a short time later. Gibbs headed back upstairs after telling McGee and Ziva to join him in twenty, giving tacit permission for them all to discuss Tony and his dad while he went back upstairs to keep an eye on his partner.

**Comfort**

It was close to 10 p.m. when Jethro got home from finishing the repairs at Abby's apartment. There'd been a long list of miscellaneous items: leaky faucet, damaged carpeting, touch-up painting, replacing part of a window frame. Most of it had been things Abby could do herself, and they both knew it. He'd been done a few hours earlier, but Abby had offered dinner as a thank you, so they'd spent the evening together talking and reminiscing. It had been nice for both of them; now that he was living with Tony, he didn't see her outside of work as much as he used to, and he missed that. He suspected she did too.

Remembering about the door, Jethro pulled out his key and unlocked it, shutting it quietly when he heard the sounds of a movie coming from the living room. He poked his head around the wall; Tony was stretched out on the couch, using a cushion for a pillow and hugging Gonzo the hippo to his chest. Jethro bit his lip to keep from laughing at the picture his lover presented.

Tony glanced up at him and smiled. "I heard that."

"Didn't say a word," Jethro protested.

"No, but you thought it."

Jethro moved into the room, leaning down to brush a kiss over Tony's forehead before settling down in the armchair sitting at an angle next to the couch. "What movie?"

Tony reached out to take Jethro's hand. "For A Few Dollars More. Clint is the man."

"The man with no name."

Tony shifted over, raising his head and grinning at Gibbs. "I always knew you were a closet movie watcher."

Jethro laughed. "Wasn't raised in a cave, Tony."

Tony made a sound suspiciously like a giggle as he turned back to the movie. They both watched for a while, Jethro's thumb idly stroking the back of Tony's hand.

"Why this movie?"

Tony shifted a bit, accidentally squeezing Gonzo hard enough to make him fart. "Clint. Strong silent type, plays by his own rules… doesn't say much, but his face gets the point across. Kinda like you, Boss."

Jethro smiled and shook his head. "You think so, huh?"

Tony nodded and squeezed Jethro's hand once before letting go and moving his hand under the cushion. "I do. It's comforting."

Jethro looked over at Tony, his smile fading a bit as the sight of Tony laying on the couch suddenly shifted into a memory of Kelly lying in much the same position, arm around the stuffed cat she'd given her father, the one he'd named Fluffy, watching The Muppets after a bad day at school. Her image faded from his mind's eye after a moment, and he reached out to run his fingers through Tony's hair.

"Feels nice, Jethro."

Jethro grunted in response, then sat back and watched the movie for a few minutes. He grew restless during one of the slower scenes in the film, and leaned forward. "Gonna go work in the basement."

Tony nodded. "Have fun."

Jethro puttered around down there for a while, trying to settle on his next project. He finally decided to wait and talk to Tony about it; they'd worked well together on the cabinet, and Tony wanted to learn more. Jethro liked the idea of starting a new boat, one they could eventually sail together, but he thought maybe Tony would want to work on something for the house. He dug out some plans he'd put together for a few different projects and laid them out on the table so they could look them over together later.

Jethro stretched and headed for the stairs, hitting the light switch on the way into the kitchen. _Hope the movie's over soon… would be nice to just lie down with Tony and relax._

He stopped short as he walked into the living room. Tony was fast asleep, loosely hanging on to Gonzo, his face bathed in the faint grayish light coming from the blank screen. Jethro's lips twitched and Tony snuffled in his sleep, suddenly seeming like nothing more than an overgrown little boy.

A quick scan showed the remote sitting on the coffee table. Jethro picked it up, idly wondering why there were so many buttons when it only took one to turn both the TV and DVD player off. He set it back down on the coffee table and considered Tony, wondering if he should wake him up enough to get him upstairs.

A moment later, Jethro was easing himself down onto the floor, leaning back against the couch, letting his head rest against Tony's arm. It wasn't long before he dozed off, listening to the sound of Tony's breathing.

_Author's note: Gonzo and Fluffy make their first appearances in the FIOverse in the last two chapters of Figuring It Out._


	3. Chapter 3

_Dug myself out from under Nemo - around 20 inches of snow. Fun times! _

_Thanks so much to everyone who alerted and reviewed the last chapter. Your feedback is always very encouraging and much appreciated. _

_I can't thank gosgirl enough for the beta read on this one - she definitely made it better, and gave me some ideas that made me a lot happier with how this turned out. Sending entire boxes of bunnies her way, both chocolate and of the plot variety! *ducks and runs*_

_Just a reminder that this 'verse went AU after the season 7 episode Obsession. None of the events on the show since then have happened, which explains a comment Tony makes in this chapter, as well as the fact that he hasn't seen or heard from his father since the episode Flesh and Blood._

3: Father

**Arrival**

The elevator dinged and Gibbs' team emerged, heading for their desks. Tony tossed his backpack with extra force and sat heavily in his chair, muttering to himself. Gibbs, torn between concern and amusement, shook his head as he sat at his own desk.

"What was that, Tony?" Ziva asked as she fired up her computer.

Tony glared at her, straightening his cuffs and tie. "I _said_, Zi-vah, that if we're going to be called out on a case, it should be a real case, not a fake case."

McGee cleared his throat. "Uh, Tony… to be fair, the kid's mom was really scared."

"I know!" The hand Tony slammed down on his desk punctuated his statement. "It's just – if we're called out on a kidnapping, there should _be_ a kidnapping! Not a kid hiding in the woods 'cause he didn't do well on his spelling test."

"Are you listening to yourself, Tony?" Ziva frowned at him. "You would wish a child to be in fear for his life just so you can avoid your father? That is what you are doing, is it not?

Tony shook his head. "You're overlooking something, Probette. Gibbs was on the case. Gibbs isn't going to let any kid get hurt."

McGee leaned forward. "Don't you think you're being a little extreme? I mean, Gibbs or no Gibbs, imagine what the kid would have been going through if he had been kidnapped!"

Tony grimaced. "Yeah, well, imagine what I'm going through, having to deal with dear old Dad any minute."

Gibbs got up from his desk and moved quickly to stand in front of Tony, glaring down at him. "DiNozzo," he said in measured tones, " My office. Now." He turned and strode to the elevator.

Tony watched him wide-eyed, then scrambled to follow. Ziva and McGee traded concerned looks, and Ziva moved to get up when Gibbs' voice floated back toward them. "Ziva! McGee! Reports!"

They stood silently until the elevator arrived. Once they were on and it started moving, Gibbs hit the emergency stop, then turned and whapped Tony on the back of the head, harder than he'd done since they'd gotten together. Tony grimaced and reached up to rub the afflicted area, while Gibbs moved in close, staring him down from inches away.

"What's gotten into you, DiNozzo? You want that kid in danger?"

Tony shook his head. "Of course not, Boss. Just letting off some steam." His eyes met Gibbs'. "You know I wouldn't wish harm on anyone, not really." His brow furrowed. "Well, maybe a few people."

Gibbs huffed out a breath and stepped back, leaning against the elevator wall. "You okay, Tony?"

Tony relaxed his stance and shrugged. "Yeah, Jeth… will be, anyway."

"Your dad's got you all kinds of turned around, and he isn't even here yet."

Tony shot him a wry smile. "One of Senior's many talents."

Gibbs considered him for a moment. "His visit'll give you the opportunity to find out if he meant what he said."

"Maybe. Depends on what he wants. It's strange that he's coming back so soon, you know? Makes me think whatever it is can't be good."

Gibbs leaned forward, reaching out and taking hold of Tony's arm to pull him close.

"We breaking the new rule 12, Jethro?"

"Learn to prioritize, Tony." Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled him into a hug.

Tony did the same to Gibbs, chuckling softly. "That's rich, coming from you."

Gibbs shrugged. "I'm learning."

"Yeah." Tony tightened his arms. "Yeah, you are."

They stayed there for a while, just leaning against the elevator wall, until Tony finally relaxed, at which point Gibbs gently let go. "Alright now?"

Tony nodded. "Think so."

Gibbs tilted his head and looked at him, then nodded once and flipped the emergency switch. The elevator started moving again, heading down; Tony reached out and hit the cancel button, then the floor for the bullpen.

The elevator shuddered slightly, then slowly reversed direction. Tony glanced over at Gibbs. "Might want to requisition a new office."

They stepped off, Tony in the lead, only to stop short at the sight of Anthony DiNozzo Sr. standing next to Tony's desk, talking and laughing with Ziva and McGee, his hand resting lightly on Ziva's arm. He glanced over in their direction, and raised the other arm to wave.

"Junior! There you are. Had to take the stairs; they said the elevator was out of commission. Guess that didn't last long."

Tony gave his father a weak smile and walked closer. "Hi, Dad."

Senior's eyes swept over his son. "You're looking well."

"Thanks." Tony shifted his feet as Gibbs moved to stand next to him.

"Mr. DiNozzo." Gibbs held out his hand; Senior stood unmoving for a moment, meeting his gaze, then a smile broke out on his face and he reached for Gibbs' hand, shifting his other arm around Ziva's waist as he did so.

"Gibbs."

The corner of Gibbs' mouth twitched a little. Tony looked back and forth between the two of them, wracking his brain for something to say.

"Gibbs, DiNozzo… going to introduce me to your visitor?"

They all turned to see Director Vance standing near Ziva's desk, briefcase in hand. Tony glanced at his father, sighing at the calculating look that appeared in Senior's eyes just before the affable smile showed up again.

"NCIS Director Leon Vance, this is my father, Anthony DiNozzo Senior."

Vance tilted his head and reached out with his hand, shaking Senior's heartily while glancing between the two DiNozzos. "Of course. I should have seen the resemblance. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Senior replied.

Vance glanced over at Tony again. "You can be very proud of your son, Mr. DiNozzo. He's recently been promoted to team leader, working in partnership with Agent Gibbs. He's one of our best agents, and I believe he has a bright future with this agency."

"Tony, please." Senior looked over at Ziva, smiling at her before turning back to Vance. "That's great to hear. Agent Gibbs said something similar when I was here a few months back, but I wasn't sure if it was just bias on his part."

Vance blinked, then smiled. "Agent Gibbs tells it like it is, sometimes much to my dismay," he said. "I'm sure he was objective."

Senior nodded in Gibbs' direction. "Then that's doubly good to hear."

Gibbs met Senior's eyes and said nothing, giving him his best blank stare.

"Well, I have to get to back to work… a director's job is never done. Enjoy your stay in D.C., Mr. DiNozzo." Vance nodded to him, glanced around at the team, then set off toward the stairs.

Tony cleared his throat and began to speak, only to have Senior cut him off and turn to McGee. "Where is that delightful Abby? I'd love a chance to say hello."

"She's probably in her lab. I'll give her a call, tell her to come up." McGee moved quickly over to his desk.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, standing there while Senior made small talk with Ziva. Gibbs shifted over to the side a bit, brushing his arm against Tony, who glanced over at him and shrugged.

McGee returned from his desk. "Abby's in the middle of running a test for another team and can't get away at the moment. She said she'll be free in about thirty minutes."

Senior sighed. "That's too bad. I'm a little tired, should probably go on to the hotel and freshen up. I'll be sure to stop by and see her before I leave town." He leaned in and kissed Ziva on the cheek, then clapped McGee on the shoulder. Finally he turned to his son. "Seven sharp at the Rooftop Grill, Junior."

"Yes, sir… as long as we don't have a case."

Senior smiled at Tony, squeezed Ziva's hand, nodded to Gibbs, then headed for the elevator. They all watched him go, then Ziva and McGee went back to their desks. Tony turned and looked at Gibbs, who raised his eyebrows.

"Want me to come up with a case?"

Tony huffed out a laugh. "Nah. Might as well get it over with." He stood there for a minute. "Think I'll go for coffee. Be back in a few."

Gibbs watched him leave, then returned to his desk, refusing to meet either Ziva's or McGee's eyes as he got back to work.

**Dinner**

Tony looked at his watch again as he sat at the bar. 7:15. Sighing, he picked up his beer and had another sip. _I could be at home with Jethro right now. _

"Junior!"

Tony looked over his shoulder and saw his father standing behind the hostess, waving him over. He tossed a few dollar bills on the bar and stood, picking up his beer and following at a distance as the hostess led his father to a window seat.

"Glad you could make it, Dad," Tony said as he sat down and accepted the menu from the waitress.

Senior smiled at the woman before turning to his son. "Don't get in a snit, Junior. I had some business to attend to." He looked over to one side and nodded toward an older couple who were being seated on the other side of the restaurant. "That's Theodore Rankin, president of GFM."

"GFM?"

"Global Financial Markets. They do a wide range of investing, and I'm trying to interest him in my latest venture."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

They read over the menu; both men settled on steaks. Tony looked out the window as his father flirted with the waitress, and wished he was with Jethro in front of the fire, eating cowboy steaks and watching whatever game was on.

The waitress left with their orders, and Senior gazed at his son for a moment before clearing his throat. "Junior – I want to thank you for the money."

Tony looked up, startled. "What money?"

Senior gave him a wry smile. "I know you paid my hotel bill last time I was here, and bought that ticket to Monte Carlo. I ran into Al there, and he didn't know anything about it."

Tony shifted uncomfortably. "It's not a big deal, Dad."

Senior shook his head. "Yes, it is. And if this next venture of mine goes through, I'll pay you back. With interest."

"I don't need the money."

Senior's eyebrows shot up. "Of course you do. And that's what I want to talk to you about."

"Um, okay."

"I really think it's time you settled down, Junior." Senior leaned forward, tapping his finger on the table. "You seem tied to your job at NCIS, and let's face it, you're not likely to get rich at it." He reached forward and patted Tony's hand. "Don't get me wrong, I was highly gratified to hear what your director had to say about you. But you have to admit that as a salaried employee, your earning potential is rather limited."

"I make plenty of money to support my lifestyle and have enough left over to put aside."

"That's all well and good, but let's face it, renting an apartment and living alone will only get a man so far."

Tony let out a short laugh. "How far do you think I should get?"

"I won't be around forever, and there's no telling how much I'll be able to leave you. I'm a little compromised on funds at the moment –" he held up a hand, palm out, as if expecting Tony to say something " – so it's that much more vital that you look for the right woman to add to your position."

Tony decided to play dumb. "My position?"

"Son, it's important to choose wisely. Marriage can be looked at like a business –"

"You telling me that's what it was with Mom? A business?"

All expression left Senior's face. "With your mother, never. But the other marriages… yes, once I knew I couldn't find what I'd lost when she died, I went after the next best thing."

"I'm not sure defining money as the next best thing to my mother makes me all that happy." Tony reached up to rub at his neck, feeling the tension increase in his muscles.

Senior frowned. "I'm serious, Junior. You aren't involved with anyone at present, not that I can tell, and you're heading into midlife. You should be looking for the right woman to add to your resources."

The waitress returned with their appetizers, and the conversation stopped for a few minutes while they ate. Senior's soup and Tony's shrimp cocktail were pronounced excellent; the elder DiNozzo returned to his point as their plates were cleared.

"What do you know about Ziva's portfolio?"

Tony almost choked on his beer. "Ziva?!"

Senior smiled at him indulgently. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed how she looks at you. You have work in common, which could be a drawback, or it could give you enough conversation over the dinner table."

Tony grinned, trying to picture that. "Ziva would just as soon knife me as hug me half the time. Trust me, Dad, you're barking up the wrong tree on this one."

"She's a beautiful woman. What about her family?"

Tony shrugged. "Her father is the director of Israeli Mossad."

"Mossad?"

"Israeli intelligence and special ops. She started out with us as a liason officer, and now she's in her probationary year as a NCIS agent. She got her American citizenship about a month ago… it was a nice ceremony."

"Her father is likely a very rich man."

"He might be. I don't really know."

Their steaks arrived. Once again the table was quiet while they ate, and once again Tony yearned for home.

A little more than halfway through his dinner, Senior spoke up again. "It seems to me that a little background research would be a good idea."

"On what?"

Senior shot his son an exasperated look. "On Ziva! You should be able to access her financials fairly easily, shouldn't you?"

"Dad." Tony pushed his plate off to the side, leaving about a third of his steak untouched. "I'm not going to violate a friend's privacy to satisfy your curiosity." The tension in his neck increased; Tony reached up to loosen his tie. "And I'm not looking to get married to Ziva or anyone else right now."

"Why not?"

"Why not?! Dad, I'm perfectly happy with my life as it is right now. My job is really important to me. I help people, and that means a lot."

"I'm sure it does, son, and it's admirable that you've dedicated your life to… well, to whatever it is you do. Although if I remember correctly, you're a little quick to flash that gun of yours." Senior shook his head. "But that's not the point. There's no reason why you can't do the job and still get married, is there?"

"Not on the surface, no." Tony started twisting his napkin around his hands. "Doing this job well requires a certain level of dedication. It's not easy to maintain a relationship when you're on call most weekends and you might not leave the office for several days if you've got a hot case. I've seen too many agents in relationships that crashed and burned. I mean, look at Gibbs." Tony mentally cursed himself for opening up that can of worms, but the damage was done, so he kept going. "Gibbs has been divorced three times, and he's one of the best men I know. But there he was, when I first met him, paying two alimonies and getting ready to add a third. Not sure I need that complication."

Senior laughed. "That's what prenups are for. And so far I haven't heard any good arguments against Ziva. She has to understand your work hours."

"Dad. I don't have feelings for Ziva."

"I'm talking about a business proposition, Junior, not riding off into the sunset." Senior waved a dismissive hand. "You haven't felt strongly enough about anyone to marry them, so at this point, what does it matter?"

Tony stared at his father, stunned into silence.

"As for Gibbs… well, I'm not surprised that the man hasn't been able to keep a marriage together. His interpersonal skills seem a bit lacking, and his wardrobe needs work."

Tony gritted his teeth. "Gibbs' style suits him. And just because he doesn't make small talk with anyone in possession of a fat wallet doesn't mean his social skills are lacking."

"Really, son, have you talked to the man much? He doesn't seem to understand his place in the pecking order."

Tony glared at his father. "You have no idea about the sacrifices Gibbs has made because of his dedication to his job and to his team."

Senior laughed. "I'm starting to think you have a crush on the man."

Tony threw up his hands. "It's far more than a crush, Dad. Jethro and I are in love and we've been living together for the past two months." _Oh, crap._ Tony stared angrily at his father while he wished he could take back that last couple of minutes.

Senior stared back. "You're not gay."

Tony propped his elbow on the table and rested his forehead on his hand. "No, Dad, I'm probably not gay. Jethro's the only man I've ever felt this way about. But that doesn't make it any less real."

"Real? What's that got to do with it?" Senior looked flustered, having pushed his own plate aside. "What are his assets? And get your elbow off the table."

Tony sat back, laughing. "Assets? Let's see… Jethro's an accomplished agent. He reads people better than anyone I know, has incredible instincts on the job. He's a caring, compassionate man who feels deeply but rarely shows it. He's protective of his people, loyal to a fault, and expects more out of himself than he does from the rest of us."

"I was asking about his material assets."

"I know." Tony stared at his father. "Other than the fact that there's no mortgage on his house, I couldn't tell you what his material assets are."

Senior's brow furrowed. "Really, Junior, I thought I raised you better than that."

"Raised me? Didn't we have this conversation last time you were here? I was raised by television after mom died, at least until you sent me off to boarding school."

Senior's eyes shifted away from Tony's. "You're not gay," he repeated, casting around for something to say.

"How would you know?"

The two men stared at each other, until Senior abruptly waved for the check.

"This is a phase," he stated, his voice taking on more confidence. "Most young men do their experimenting in college, but perhaps you're just a late bloomer."

Tony gaped at his father, while Senior smiled at the waitress and signed the slip to charge the meal to his room. After she left, Senior stood and looked seriously at his son. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. I have some contacts here in town; I'll find out which eligible young ladies are in the area and available." He fell silent for a moment, looking down at the table before meeting his son's eyes. "I won't be around forever, Anthony. I'd like to see you taken care of before I'm gone."

With that, he turned and walked out of the restaurant, leaving Tony sitting at the table, staring after him. "I am taken care of," he muttered. "Myself and Jethro. We take care of each other." Shaking his head, he abandoned the remnants of his dinner and set off for home.

**Home Again**

Jethro was in the basement when he heard the front door open and close. He stopped what he was doing and listened; he could hear Tony going upstairs, so he resumed his work on the blueprints he wanted to show his partner.

It only took Tony about ten minutes to make his way down the stairs and into the basement. Jethro watched him approach; the look on Tony's face made his gut clench and he automatically reached out as Tony reached for him.

They stood there for a while, arms around each other. The tension was leaving Tony's body, but only slowly.

"I take it things didn't go all that well."

Tony laughed quietly. "You could say that."

Jethro untangled himself from Tony's arms. "Do I need to go get my rifle?"

Tony huffed out a breath. "Don't tempt me, Jeth."

Jethro nodded, then walked a couple of steps to the workbench. He emptied a jar of nails, then held it up, looking back at Tony. "Want?"

"Sure."

Jethro poured a glass and held it out. Tony moved forward, took it, saluted Jethro, then downed it all, setting the jar back down on the bench. Jethro blinked. "It _really_ didn't go well, huh?"

Tony shook his head. "I spilled the beans. To be fair, though, it was already not going well."

"What beans?"

"About us."

Jethro nodded. "Didn't make him happy?"

"Not really. But not because it's us, not exactly. More because we don't fit into his plans."

Jethro glanced between Tony and the empty jar, then set the bottle of bourbon back down on the bench. "Wanna talk about it?"

Tony gazed at him. "No, not really."

"Okay. What _do_ you want?"

Tony considered that. "Can I just watch you work?"

"Not much to see." Jethro waved his hand at the blueprints on the table.

"That's ok. Just… want to watch. And not think."

"Whatever you need."

Tony settled himself on the couch, lying with his head propped up on the arm. Jethro went back work, making a few more measurements of dimensions in the basement, then altering some notations on the paper. He was conscious of Tony's eyes on him, but it was a reassuring feeling, so he forged on without questioning the younger man, even though he wanted more details than he'd gotten.

About half an hour after Tony had come downstairs, Jethro looked over to see that Tony had fallen asleep. He smiled slightly, shaking his head, and walked over to the couch, picking up the old blanket that lay across the top and draping it over the younger man. He ran his hand through Tony's hair, smiling at the way Tony leaned in to his touch, then went back to his plans, daydreaming a little about one day sailing with Tony on this new boat he was hoping to build.


	4. Chapter 4

_Almost didn't make my self-appointed Sunday deadline… this chapter was really tough to write. It's unbetaed, because I didn't get it done in time to send it to gosgirl for her input. As always, many thanks for all the feedback – it's very much appreciated!_

4: Avoidance

**Early Morning Distraction**

Jethro came awake slowly, his body relaxed and heavy. It was still dark; his internal clock told him it was a little before 5 a.m. He stretched and turned over onto his back, rubbing his eyes and blinking in the dim glow from Tony's clock radio. He felt Tony shift around next to him; the dark head came to rest on Jethro's chest, one arm encircling his waist and pulling him close. Jethro smiled and closed his eyes, reaching up to run his fingers through Tony's hair. The younger man mumbled in his sleep and moved closer, shifting his face up into Jethro's neck and inhaling deeply.

Jethro turned his head and whispered, "Sleep, Tony." Tony quieted and settled, his arm growing heavier across Jethro's midsection. Jethro stared up at the ceiling while he continued to run his hands through Tony's hair, remembering how he'd finally gotten Tony up to bed the night before. His partner had been unusually quiet, curling into Jethro's side as soon as they'd gotten under the covers, falling back to sleep almost immediately.

Jethro sighed quietly, wishing he'd been at that dinner. Whatever father and son had talked about had hurt Tony deeply; Jethro needed to know what it was so he could help ease that pain. He chuckled softly, admitting to himself that he'd not been entirely joking when he'd asked if Tony wanted him to get his rifle. _I'd give myself a head slap, but that might wake Tony._

Jethro dozed off for a while, only to be brought back to wakefulness by the sound of the radio. Tony groaned and shifted in Jethro's grasp, turning over to shut it off, then settling back into place against his partner. "Gah. Don' wan'ge'up."

Jethro smiled. "What language was that?"

"Huh?"

"Didn't sound like English."

"Wasn'. S'Tony speak fer mo' slee'."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yah." Tony snuggled into him, pulling him closer, wiggling his hips so his morning erection rubbed against Jethro's leg. "Ses, then slee'?"

Jethro laughed. "What the hell is 'ses'?"

Tony raised his head and blinked at Jethro. "You forge' wha' sex is, Jeth?"

Jethro ran his fingers lightly over Tony's shoulder, back, and down to his buttocks. "Nope." He squeezed, getting a gasp and a wriggle out of Tony. "I remember."

"Good." Tony rolled onto his back, pulling Jethro over and on top of him. "Show me."

Jethro leaned down and growled in Tony's ear. "We've got work."

"No case. Don't have to be in so early. I'll reset the alarm… c'mon, Jethro." Tony shifted around underneath Jethro until the head of Jethro's cock was pressed up against Tony's ass. "Just like this," Tony whispered. "You, in me, like this."

Jethro closed his eyes as his hips involuntarily thrust forward. Tony hummed happily.

"Don't move," Jethro ordered. He leaned over, fumbling at the nightstand to get the lube. He made short work of slicking himself up and then spreading lube between Tony's cheeks, then lined his cock up against Tony's anus, rotating his hips and rubbing against his lover while Tony spread his legs and relaxed. Jethro worked his way inside, a bit at a time, groaning as he finally made it all the way in.

They moved against each other slowly, the room filling with the sounds of their grunts, gasps and moans. Tony's head tilted back and Jethro honed in on his neck, mouthing the skin as he inched closer to climax. One of Tony's hands fisted in Jethro's hair while the other worked its way between them, grasping his own cock and bringing himself off in a matter of moments. Jethro followed soon after, biting Tony's shoulder as he came.

They lay quietly, gasping for breath; Tony hummed happily, the sound morphing into a protest as Jethro carefully pulled out. Jethro scooted back a bit, raising his head to kiss Tony gently on the lips. "You okay?"

Tony's grip tightened on Jethro's hair as he pulled his lover back for another kiss. "Absolutely. You know I've perfected the art of relaxing early in the morning."

"For which I am very, very grateful," Jethro murmured against Tony's lips.

They settled back down as Tony wiped them off with one of the small towels they kept near the bed for that purpose. Jethro watched as Tony tossed the towel in the general direction of the bathroom. "You gonna reset that alarm, go back to sleep?"

Tony shook his head. "Nah. You woke me up."

Jethro snorted and reached over to tickle Tony's side. Tony squirmed and laughed, managing to grasp Jethro's hands and stop the assault. Jethro made a token effort to pull free, then lay there quietly, watching while Tony played with his fingers.

"You gonna tell me what got you upset enough to tell your dad about us?"

Tony raised his head off the pillow to look at Jethro, then let it fall back with a soft thump. "Really don't want to talk about it." They were both silent for a moment. "Look at it this way… he knows, he's… disappointed, for lack of a better word, but not for any reason you might think. We throw a wrench in his plans, so odds are he'll leave town without me having to deal with him again."

Jethro's eyes searched Tony's. "He's not upset you're with a guy?"

Tony let go of Jethro's hands and reached up to rub his eyes with both hands. "No, I don't think so. More like he's unhappy I'm not with a rich guy."

Jethro's brow furrowed and he started to speak, but the words turned into an undignified yelp as Tony suddenly surged up off the bed and rolled over on top of him. He tried to look stern but failed miserably as he gazed up into Tony's smiling face.

"Enough about my father. He's not going to ruin my day, not after it's started out so well." Tony did a few pushups above Jethro, leaning in to kiss him before jumping up off the bed. "C'mon, lazybones, time's a wastin'."

Jethro stared at Tony's back as his lover strode into the bathroom, then sighed and shook his head. _Got my work cut out for me if I'm gonna get to the bottom of what's going on with him and his dad._ He got up, stretched, and followed Tony into the shower.

**Busy Work **

Gibbs glanced up from his desk at the sound of Tony's cell ringing. He watched as Tony picked it up, looked at it, then hit the icon to ignore the call.

"Why are you not answering your phone, Tony?" Ziva asked as she added yet another file folder to the growing pile on one side of her desk.

"Because I don't want to talk to the person calling, Zee-vah. They can leave a message."

"They? It is not your father?"

"Doesn't matter who it is. It's a personal call. We're working."

Gibbs glanced between the two of them, frowning slightly as he heard McGee chime in from across the room.

"When's your dad coming back, Tony? He's still in town, right?"

"Far as I know."

"So when is he returning?" Ziva asked.

Tony looked up at her. "You can always call him up at the Adams House and ask, you know." He set back in his chair, a wry smile on his face. "I'm sure if you told him you wore your hair like that 'specially for him, he'd come right over."

Ziva glared at him and flipped some of the long wavy hair back over her shoulder. "I do not know what you mean."

Tony laughed and shook his head. "Whatever you say." He refocused on the pile of files in front of him. "Hey, Boss… what did you say our deadline was?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Middle of next week. Gets pushed back if we get a case."

"Why does the Director want us reviewing all our cases for the past two years?" McGee sighed as he looked at the stack on his desk.

"Ours not to reason why, Probie… ours to – whatever the hell it is we're supposed to be doing. What are we doing, again?"

Gibbs suppressed a smile. "Vance wants each team to review their cases, develop a list of strengths and areas for improvement. Consider it an internal audit."

"Yay." Tony glared at the pile on his desk. "Is it wrong to hope for a nice triple homicide?"

"That would only put off the inevitable." Ziva sighed as she opened another file and typed in some notes on her computer.

"I don't understand why we can't just look over each one together on the plasma," McGee griped. Then he paled as he saw Vance walk into their section of the floor.

"Because I want you to follow the protocol laid out by the consulting firm SecNav appointed," Vance stated as he moved to stand next to McGee's desk.

"This is a waste of time, Leon," Gibbs said quietly.

Vance shrugged. "SecNav wants the data from each team. He thinks the agency is getting complacent." His gaze moved from desk to desk, making eye contact with each agent in turn. "Let's prove him wrong." He nodded to Gibbs and then Tony as he walked through the area, heading for the stairs.

"I'd almost rather have a new probie assigned to the team," Tony grumbled.

Gibbs shook his head. "Go… take your notes, talk to Abby and Ducky. Get their feedback before you start on the next batch."

All three agents gathered up their stacks of files, printed out some notes, and headed off to the back elevator. Tony winked at Gibbs as he passed by, then rolled his eyes as Ziva made another comment about his father.

Gibbs watched them go, then tossed his empty coffee cup in the trash and got up to head out for a new one. He glanced down as he passed Tony's desk and saw his cell sitting there. He hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and after a few tries reached the missed calls screen. 'Dad' showed up as the last three missed calls.

Gibbs stared at the phone for a moment, then set it back down and moved to the elevator.

**Perspectives **

"I may scream."

Gibbs, Tony and McGee all looked up at Ziva as she stared down at the files on her desk.

"She's got a point, Boss," Tony said. "We've been at this all day. We're going to go a little loony tunes soon."

"You are going to sing?" Ziva tilted her head in confusion.

Tony grinned. "Better than screaming, right?"

McGee sighed. "It would help if we knew what they're looking for."

A chorus of agreement followed that statement. Tony's cell rang; everyone looked at him. He sighed, picked up his phone, then hit 'ignore' and put it back down.

"Tony," McGee said, "are you sure you should keep ignoring him?"

"Ignoring who, Probie?"

McGee's eyes narrowed. "Your father, obviously."

Tony blinked. "Are you psychic now, that you know who's calling?"

"It is fairly obvious, Tony," Ziva pointed out.

"You can't avoid him forever," McGee added.

Tony grinned, the smile not reaching his eyes. "I can sure as hell try."

Abby walked into the bullpen, smiling. "Dinner break?" She looked at Gibbs hopefully.

He looked around at them all, then nodded at Tony, whose shoulders slumped a bit in relief before he stood and holstered his weapon. "Alright, Abs! Dinner it is. Where do you want to go?"

"I was thinking that new Italian bistro a few blocks over… they've got kick ass desserts."

"I read a good review about that place," McGee cut in.

"Perhaps we could ask your father to join us?" Ziva smoothed her hair away from her face.

Tony shook his head. "He's got business meetings all day."

Abby turned to Gibbs. "Won't you come too?"

He shook his head. "I'll go keep Ducky company."

Abby, Ziva and McGee headed for the elevator, while Tony picked up his phone and walked over to Gibbs. "Do me a favor, Jethro?"

Gibbs sat back and looked up at him. "What do you need?"

Tony sighed, bouncing the phone a bit in his hand before tossing it to Gibbs, who caught it easily in one hand. "Listen to the messages? Let me know if there's anything I really need to worry about when I get back?"

Gibbs tilted his head and looked at him thoughtfully. "Didn't seem like you wanted me to know what's going on."

Tony sighed and shifted his feet. "It's not that… I just don't want him interfering with us, getting in the way. He's very good at that when he wants to be, even when he's not around."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll take care of it."

Tony shot him a relieved smile. "Thanks. Call McGee if we catch a case?"

Gibbs nodded, then watched him go. As soon as the elevator doors closed, he held the screen up and away so he could read it, then accessed voice mail, smiling a little at his success.

_- You have five new messages. –_

_Beep_

"_Junior, call me as soon as you can. I want to continue our conversation at lunch today."_

_Beep_

"_Now, son, I know you've checked your messages. Didn't you tell me that's one of your precious Gibbs' rules?"_

_Beep_

"_Grow up, Anthony. It's past time you accept that you've got to take responsibility for your life."_

_Beep_

"_I have a couple of decent prospects; I'll tell you about them over dinner."_

_Beep_

"_We need to talk, Junior. Please call."_

Gibbs disconnected and sat there for a moment, thinking, before getting up and moving purposefully to the back elevator.

It only took him a few minutes to get to Autopsy, where Ducky sat at one of the tables going through a large pile of files.

"You too, Duck?"

The older man looked up and sighed heavily. "As you see, Jethro, I am positively embroiled in our esteemed Director's latest pet project."

Gibbs smiled. "Don't let it get to you."

"And what makes you think it is getting to me, as you so quaintly put it?"

"You said 'embroiled.'" Gibbs gave a truly horrific imitation of Ducky's accent, complete with heavily rolled r's.

"Ah, yes, well, I have had many an occasion to observe that such busy work is usually a means for someone who does not need to actually do it to justify their inclusion on the payroll."

Gibbs ducked his head, hiding his smile.

Ducky sighed and tossed the folder he'd been holding down on the table. "What can I do for you, Jethro?"

"Need some advice, Duck."

Ducky looked him over, then nodded. "Pull up a chair, then."

Gibbs sat, slumping a little in the chair and reaching up to scratch at his head. "It's Tony… Tony and his dad."

"I did notice young Anthony appeared a bit out of sorts when he was here earlier today."

"Something happened between them last night, at dinner. Don't know what, but Tony came home unhappy."

"Seems rather significant, if he didn't wish to share the details."

"Yeah. All I know is he told his dad about us, even though he'd been pretty adamant about not wanting him to know."

"Did his father react badly?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I don't know. Tony doesn't want to talk about it. He distracted me when I asked this morning, then we were wrapped up with this audit of SecNav's all day. Got nothing to go on, other than a vague reference to money… that, and the fact that he's acting more like my senior field agent than team lead."

"Is Anthony supposed to see his father again soon?"

Gibbs told him about the messages Senior had left. Ducky's expression turned grave.

"Jethro… I do believe our Anthony is in considerable emotional distress."

"Yeah, I got that, Duck. How do I help him if he won't talk to me?"

"Your best course of action may be to do what I suggested the other day, in Abby's lab. Follow his lead. Not telling you exactly how his father reacted may be his way of protecting you, while asking you to listen to the messages may be a way of including you, not shutting you out." Ducky folded his arms over his chest. "Tell me, Jethro, are the others still outwardly excited about Anthony's father?"

Gibbs snorted. "They keep askin' about him. Tony seems to think Ziva's wearing her hair in some special way for his dad."

"And Abby?"

"I haven't heard anything from her about him, but I wasn't with them today, so I can't say for sure."

Ducky smiled softly. "That young woman has a heart of gold. She may very well have taken our words to heart, but she won't want to hurt his father's feelings either."

Gibbs sighed. Family was Abby's weak spot, so there was no telling how she would react if Tony and Senior got into it in front of everyone. "Why does Tony have such a tough time with his dad?"

"I should think you'd understand the difficulties inherent in father/son relationships, Jethro."

Gibbs shot Ducky a mild glare. His friend cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, you've met the man. He doesn't strike me as someone easy to deal with in the best of circumstances. Everything I've heard and observed with respect to Anthony and his father indicates a form of, well, benign neglect, to put it as simply as possible. But you know that young man better than any of us; surely you can see how his insecurities would come to the forefront when his father forces his way into his home?"

Gibbs shot Ducky a confused look; the medical examiner rolled his eyes. "I don't mean your house, Jethro. I mean here, at NCIS, Anthony's home away from home. His father has a strong personality, and is clearly charming when he wants to be. While I haven't witnessed too many interactions with the man, it is clearly a set up for Anthony to feel displaced… which may explain why you've observed him acting more like your subordinate than your partner. Mr. DiNozzo attracts a great deal of interest; he knows how to work a room. Our Anthony ends up on the outside looking in, and he may very well fear losing his position here as a result of his father's actions."

"That's ridiculous."

"I never did say it was a rational fear, or one founded in reality. I suspect the senior DiNozzo has made things difficult for his son in the past, and on some level Anthony lacks faith in his ability to counter those effects, whether or not they are intentional."

Gibbs thought of Tony's inability to interpret his father's declaration of love during his previous visit, and nodded slowly. "I think I get it, Duck. Still not sure what to do about it."

"Like I said, follow his lead. Be supportive, show faith in him and in your relationship. A word with the others might not come amiss, should the man decide to prolong his visit."

Gibbs nodded. "Thanks, Duck."

"I do hope I was helpful."

"Me, too." Gibbs smiled at his friend and set off for his desk, hoping to wrap things up for the day and get Tony home.


	5. Chapter 5

_Many thanks for the reviews and alerts, as always. Warning for m/m activity in the last section of this chapter. For those of you who haven't read previous stories in the FIOverse, the reference to Shannon may be confusing. I'll be happy to explain via PM if necessary. Many thanks to gosgirl for the beta read on the first three sections of this chapter – I didn't get the last part done in time to send it to her. She's a fantastic beta and is doing wonders for my confidence with this story._

_Work is likely to start kicking my rear over the next week or two… it's possible I may not be able to post again for a few weeks, although it is my intention to try to update weekly!_

5: Communication

**Back in the Bullpen**

Gibbs was back at his desk long before his team returned. Alerted by the ding of the elevator, he made sure to be outwardly focused on the files piled up in front of him. He could hear Ziva, Abby and McGee laughing about something; there was no sound from Tony. He looked up as Abby hopped to a stop in front of his desk, and could see everyone else settling back in for more work.

"Did you eat? I wanted to bring something back for you, but Tony said you'd probably pick something up."

"I'm fine, Abs."

She smiled at him, did a creditable about-face, and marched off toward the back elevator. Gibbs watched her go, then cleared his throat to get rid of the slight fond smile on his lips. He took a quick survey of his team: McGee and Ziva were still bantering back and forth while they dug through files, while Tony was looking intently at his computer screen and hitting a few keys.

They worked in relative silence for a time. Tony got to his feet, rummaged around in the files, and brought one over to Gibbs' desk. "Hey, Boss… do you have a copy of the requisition forms for that stake-out we did a year ago, the case with Lieutenant Commander Bosch?"

"The embezzlement and murder? Yeah… think I saw that somewhere."

Gibbs found his copy of the relevant file and paged through it, then held out the paper. "Here you go."

"Thanks. I'll make a copy." Tony took the paper, then reached down and palmed his phone, looking at Gibbs curiously with a slight tilt to his head. Gibbs shrugged slightly, glancing at the phone, and shook his head. Some of the tension left Tony's shoulders; he shot Gibbs a smile, pocketed the phone, and headed for the copy machine. Gibbs watched him go, then shook himself and went back to the notes he was taking.

After another two hours of tedium, he sat back and stretched. "Go home. We'll pick this up again in the morning."

"I think I am with Tony on the triple homicide," Ziva muttered. She and McGee powered down their machines, gathered their things, and headed for the elevator. "Good night, Gibbs, Tony."

McGee called out his good-byes, and then they were gone. Tony sighed loudly and sat back in his chair, looking over at Gibbs. "Home?"

Gibbs nodded. "Unless you want to stop off for a drink somewhere?"

Tony thought about that, then shook his head. "Nah. I think your basement is calling."

Gibbs smiled at that, taking it as a sign that Tony was ready to open up about his father. They both got up and made their way out of the bullpen, their steps synchronized as usual.

**Misfire**

Jethro beat Tony home; the younger man stopped off to restock their beer supply. He jogged upstairs and into the bedroom, giving Beaker the mandatory head slap before locking up his weapon and changing into jeans and a sweatshirt. He ran Ducky's advice through his head – _follow Tony's lead, don't push it _– before going back downstairs and into the kitchen to throw together a quick dinner.

Jethro was leaning against the kitchen counter, finishing off some Chinese leftovers, when Tony entered through the front door. "Hey, Jeth… you didn't lock it."

Jethro rolled his eyes and kept eating. Tony came in and grinned at him. "Sneaky. Thought you'd grab some dinner at work."

"Talked to Duck. Wasn't all that hungry yet."

"Don't tell Abby. She'll be pissed that I talked her out of bringing you something."

"Told her I was fine."

"Lucky for me she didn't realize that's not the same as 'I ate.'"

Jethro inclined his head at Tony, dug the last of the noodles out of the carton, then tossed it in the garbage. "Basement?"

Tony nodded. "I'll go upstairs and change, meet you down there."

The basement was a bit chilly; fall weather was certainly on the way. Jethro turned the heat up a bit – normally he wouldn't bother, but he wanted Tony to be comfortable. He decided against discussing the plans for a new boat, feeling it was better to do something more mindless with his hands while he and Tony talked.

Tony made his way down the stairs, carrying two beers, while Jethro was putting the rolled up blueprints away. Tony watched but didn't comment, pulling a stool up to the table and setting down the beers. Jethro grabbed one and twisted the cap off, tossing it off to the side. Tony did the same, took a drink before setting the bottle down and looking at the wooden toys in progress. "Want me to sand a few?"

"Sure."

Jethro picked up a half-finished airplane and began sanding around the holes for the wooden pegs. The wings were finished, just needing to be attached. Tony got to work on pieces of a train track. They were both quiet for a while, until Jethro became impatient.

"Gonna let me in on the secret?" Jethro winced a little as the words escaped, imagining the head slap Ducky would have given him.

Tony glanced up at him. "Not really a secret, Jeth. Just… not really seeing the point to getting into it. Wouldn't change anything."

Jethro's brow furrowed. "I'd like to be able to help, Tony."

"You do." Tony smiled softly at him. "You help just by being here."

"Would prefer a more active role."

Tony shifted a bit on his seat. "I get that… I do. It's just… my dad, he's always had tunnel vision when it comes to money. Never have found out why. Nothing I say, nothing you say is gonna change that."

"He asking you for money?"

"Not directly, no."

Tony didn't elaborate, and Jethro glared at him. "Come on, Tony, help me out here."

Tony shot him an irritated look. "There's no point, Jethro. Best thing to do with Senior is to let him make some noise until he leaves for richer pastures."

"I'd like to know what's going on."

"Maybe I don't want you to know."

Jethro stared at his partner, trying to mask the hurt. "Why?"

Tony tossed the piece of track onto the table. "Why? Because my father's got a knack for making me look bad. Because it's not going to solve anything. Because I don't want you –"

Jethro waited, but Tony showed no sign of finishing that sentence. "Because you don't want me what?"

Tony glared at him. "Just drop it."

Jethro got to his feet. "No."

Tony followed suit. "Why are you pushing this?"

"Because you're not happy, Tony. And now that we're here, like this, you being happy is one of my top priorities."

Tony stared at him. "You can't make everything okay, Jethro."

"I can try."

Tony closed his eyes. "Please, just let it go."

Jethro shook his head. "Can't."

Tony growled low in his throat, then slammed his hand down on the table. Jethro watched him carefully; when his lover didn't do anything else, he moved quietly around the table and stood in front of him. Tony's eyes opened, and he jumped a bit at seeing Jethro so close. He didn't exactly resist when Jethro pulled him in to a hug, but he didn't relax or return the touch either.

"Tony," Jethro murmured, "let me help. Your dad's got you all kinds of turned around."

Tony sagged in Jethro's arms, then suddenly pulled back. He grabbed his beer bottle and flung it into the wall where it shattered, beer splashing everywhere. "I'm going for a walk." He ran up the stairs and didn't look back, so he missed the devastated expression on Jethro's face.

**Fixing It**

Tony took a deep breath as he stood in front of the house. The walk had cleared his head. It had taken a while, but Tony had finally realized that he was the one about to sabotage his relationship with Jethro, not Senior. Another deep breath, then he reached for the door handle and let himself in.

There was a fire going in the living room fireplace. Jethro sat on the couch, elbows resting on his knees, watching the flames. He didn't look over at Tony, but he did shift his gaze from the fire to his hands and the empty jar they held.

Tony swallowed hard as he saw the defeated set to Jethro's shoulders. _Not something I ever wanted to see, much less cause._ He walked briskly to the couch and sat down, leaving a few feet of space between them.

""I'm sorry.""

Tony blinked, then smiled slightly. "Stereo."

Jethro glanced over at Tony. "I shouldn't have pushed. Ducky warned me to follow your lead. Didn't listen."

"You listened… you just didn't do it." Tony reached out and ran the tip of his finger along the back of Jethro's hand.

Jethro nodded. "Yeah. Never was the most patient guy around." He looked up at the pictures on the wall. "Shannon could tell you some stories."

"Maybe I'll ask her sometime. You try talking to her?"

Jethro shook his head. "Didn't want to pull her into the middle of this. It's our fight… doesn't have to involve her."

Tony gently took the jar out of Jethro's hands and set it on the coffee table, then entwined his fingers with Jethro's. "Did that count as a fight?"

Jethro's lips twitched. "Probably. Guess we have to check with Abby and see who won the pool."

"Vance, I think. Didn't he say something about that on Monday?"

Jethro grunted, then looked at Tony. "Because you don't want me to what, Tony?"

Tony averted his gaze and swallowed hard. He reached up with his free hand, running it through his hair. "Because I don't want you to think less of me," he admitted, so quietly Jethro had to concentrate to hear him.

The older man considered that for a second, then reached over with this free hand to turn Tony's face toward him. "Couldn't."

Tony gave him a weak smile. "Nice to think so."

Jethro shook his head. "Talk to me, Tone. Tell me about that dinner."

Tony sighed and sat back, releasing Jethro's hand. He rubbed his face, then dropped his head against the back of the couch. "In a nutshell, my father, in his infinite wisdom, has decided I need a rich wife." Tony gazed up at the ceiling. "He seems to think Ziva has potential."

Jethro blinked at that. "Ziva?"

"Yeah, well, whatever." Tony sighed. "I listened to the messages Dad left… the 'prospects' he mentioned are women who come from that world, the one where marriage is a business venture."

"Your father wants to find you a trophy wife," Jethro said slowly, taking it in.

"He says he wants to make sure I'm taken care of, but I'm thinking he figures he can live off my rich wife too."

Jethro shook his head. "Okay… we both know you're not going to pursue any of those prospects. So why does he have you so off your game?" He reached out to capture Tony's hand in his own again. "And why would you think I'd think less of you for something your father says?"

Tony shrugged. "Habit, I guess. Senior's always been good at getting me off balance. He sort of just takes over, you know? He's got Ziva and McGee eating out of his hand. Not sure about Abby… she didn't really join in at dinner when those two went on and on about him. It's always been the same – on those rare occasions when he comes back into my life, he becomes the center of attention, and I fade into the background. I've never been able to hold my own with him… always feel like I'm back to being twelve again – wanting his approval and not being able to get it."

"Hey." Jethro reached up to caress the back of Tony's head, then pulled him in for a kiss. He kept it gentle, stroking his fingers through Tony's hair. Tony responded immediately, sighing into it. As soon as Tony relaxed, Jethro shifted away a bit and pulled Tony into a hug. "I'll say it again – you're the best agent I've worked with. You're my best friend, and you're the man I love and want to spend the rest of my life with. No way Senior's misguided priorities are going to change any of that."

Tony's arms wrapped around his lover. They hung on to each other for several minutes, and then Tony sighed again and pulled back. "I just wish he would take me seriously. I told him about us, and he dismissed our relationship as a phase. Thinks he can just step in and arrange my life the way he wants."

Jethro smiled softly. "Not like I endeared myself to him last time he was here."

Tony smirked at him. "Yeah, pushing my dad about his relationship with me is a good way to become persona non grata."

Jethro propped his head on his hand, leaning against the back of the couch, facing Tony. "Why didn't you tell me all this right away? Just because you thought I'd think less of you?"

Tony shrugged. "I dunno, Jeth. At first I just didn't want to deal with it… I was angry, and it hurt, you know? Then the more I thought about it, the more I started to feel like it was better to just shove it away, not let it affect us."

"You asked me to listen to those messages."

"Yeah." Tony shook his head and laughed softly. "Asking you to do that was just… I dunno. Mixed messages about the messages. I wanted you to know, but I didn't. Wanted to… protect you, I guess? Keep Senior out of your hair. Not bother you with it. But at the same time, I wanted your support."

"Bother me, Tony. I'd much rather be able to help you than not."

Tony met his eyes and nodded slowly. "You need to help, don't you? Need to know what to do for people. It's why you're such a great agent, and why we all trust you the way we do on the job. Or part of why, anyway." He looked over at the pictures of Shannon and Kelly hanging on the wall. "It's why you've always blamed yourself for losing them."

Jethro blinked back the sudden moisture in his eyes. He stared into the fire until he felt he could speak without losing it. "And I'd likely blame myself for losing you too, Tony. Don't ever want that to happen… not when I belong on your six. Just need you to let me be there."

Tony nodded. "From now on, Jeth, I will. No more secrets." He looked over at the pictures again. "That should apply to all of us."

Jethro nodded, not seeing where Tony was looking. "Like we talked about before, when it was about me going off on my own on the job."

Tony looked back at Jethro and smiled. "That too."

Jethro blinked at him, confused. Tony suddenly got up on his feet. "Let's go back down to the basement… gotta clean up my mess, and then we need to get those toys sanded."

Jethro got up and checked on the fire, shifting the logs around so the flames could die down a bit. "Already took care of clean up."

Tony looked back at him. "Thanks, Jeth. Won't happen again."

Jethro smiled and caught up to him, reaching out to take his hand. "Come on, Tony," he said, leading the way back downstairs.

**Back in the Basement**

They got right back to sanding, but this time the silence was comfortable. Tony hummed a little bit while he worked, and Jethro simply relaxed and listened to him. After about an hour, Tony stood and stretched, exchanging one toy for another. Jethro sat up a bit and watched as his partner settled back down.

"You want me to speak to Ziva and Tim? Tell 'em to lay off about your dad?"

Tony looked up, surprised. "Um… huh. Thanks for the offer, but no, better to leave it alone. If I'm lucky, Dad'll give up since I'm not answering his calls."

"You think you're that lucky?"

Tony grinned. "Lucky enough to have gotten you. Maybe that'll extend to the rest of my life too."

Jethro returned the smile, and they went back to sanding. As he worked, Jethro realized he was paying more attention to Tony than to the wood. He looked around the basement, spotted his old couch by the stairs, and smiled. "Hey, Tone."

Tony looked up; Jethro tilted his head toward the couch. Tony glanced over at it, then back at Jethro, smiling. "I could take a break."

They both got up and moved over to the softer surface; Tony let himself fall back onto it, grinning up at Jethro. "Good idea." He reached up and caught hold of Jethro's hand, pulling him forward so he was kneeling on the couch, straddling Tony.

Jethro rested his hands on the back of the couch, leaning in so his lips were next to Tony's ear. "I thought so." He lowered his head and nipped Tony's neck, getting a laugh out of the man.

"Mmm, vicious." Tony moved back just a bit, then reached up take hold of Jethro's head, pulling him in close.

The kiss started out lazy, lips sliding over each other, Tony in control. He let his tongue trace the contours of Jethro's mouth, dipping in briefly, teasing until Jethro growled low in his throat and moved closer. He sat in Tony's lap, their groins pressed together, deepening the kiss and picking up the pace.

They'd just come through their first fight, and for the first time in a long time an argument with a lover had a happy ending. Jethro suddenly didn't want slow and romantic; he wanted raw, frantic, life-affirming sex that had him getting as close to Tony as he possibly could. He nipped hard at Tony's lips, getting a startled intake of breath from his lover, then pulled back and reached down to yank his own sweatshirt off.

Tony's eyes widened. "Jethro," he whispered, and then he was pushing his lover off his lap and getting his clothes off as quickly as possible. Jethro followed suit, and everything ended up in a tangled mess on the floor. Tony pushed Jethro onto his back, so his head rested on one of the arms of the couch. He lowered himself onto his lover, reveling in the full-body contact. Jethro groaned low in this throat and grabbed hold of Tony's hair, pulling him in for a hot, rough series of kisses that had Tony fighting to breathe. Jethro's other hand made its way to his ass, and he thrust forward when Jethro squeezed tightly.

Hands were everywhere; Tony managed to get his hand between them and wrap it around both their erections, getting a half moan, half cry from Jethro at the sensation. His mouth covered Jethro's, swallowing the noise, and Jethro's hips bucked up against his own. Tony started a rhythm that Jethro matched right away.

"Not – gonna last – Jeth…"

Jethro gasped for breath. "Wait! Want – want you in me."

Tony let go and dug around in the back of the couch for the lube he kept there. He found it quickly and began prepping Jethro while pulling him into position, moving forward to push Jethro's legs back while helping him slide down on the couch.

"Want the burn, Tony."

"Not going to hurt you, Jethro – just hold on."

Tony watched Jethro writhing beneath him, his ass clenching on Tony's fingers. His cock throbbed, and he could see Jethro's doing the same. He quickly added a third finger, stroking Jethro's prostate, making him cry out again. Jethro's head was thrown back against the cushions, muscles in sharp relief as he gripped Tony's arms. Tony didn't think he'd ever seen anything so hot before in his life.

"Ready?"

"Past ready… do it, now –"

Tony removed his fingers and quickly lined the head of his cock up against Jethro's anus. He pushed in carefully, his eyes closing at the overwhelming sensations.

"God, Jeth… could have lost this."

He felt Jethro's hand clench in his hair and opened his eyes, looking down at him. "No… no way, Tone. Never losing you."

Tony thrust forward, his cock sliding all the way in. Jethro groaned and his hand moved to grasp the base of his own cock, gripping tightly to stave off his orgasm. Tony pushed at Jethro's leg until it was hanging off the couch, foot on the floor. The other leg was pressed up against the back of the couch. "Okay, Jeth?"

Jethro nodded, his teeth clenched as he tried to breathe through the pleasure.

"Hang on."

Tony began a series of long, slow thrusts. Both men were breathing hard; Jethro slowly loosened his grip on his cock and began stroking himself in time with Tony's movements. Tony dropped his head to Jethro's chest, kissing and nipping at the skin until he couldn't take the slow pace anymore.

"Here we go – Jeth –"

He sped up, letting go of any thoughts or worries, letting the incredible sensation of being inside Jethro's body take over. He moved mindlessly, thrusting as fast as he could, vaguely aware of Jethro meeting him stroke for stroke. His breathing hitched, and he felt his climax coming on fast; he tried to hold back just a bit more. "Jethro – come with me!"

Tony felt Jethro's muscles contract around him; his lover screamed wordlessly as he came. Tony let go, holding on to Jethro tightly as his own body shuddered through orgasm. He thought maybe he screamed too, but he wasn't entirely sure.

They lay there, breathing heavily, holding on to each other tightly as they began to relax.

Jethro sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of Tony's head where it lay on his shoulder. "Perfect," he murmured.

Tony shifted a bit. "Uh huh. Would be more perfect if we had some of those towels down here."

Jethro let out a sound suspiciously like a giggle. Tony raised his head and looked at him. "Did Leroy Jethro Gibbs, scariest agent at NCIS, just _giggle_?"

Jethro looked at him seriously, then giggled again. That got Tony started, and pretty soon both men were laughing uncontrollably. Tony's cock began to slip out of Jethro's body; Jethro shifted around to try to keep it in place, and suddenly Tony was almost falling off the couch. Jethro made a grab for him, just managing to keep Tony off the floor, which got them laughing even harder.

They eventually calmed down, lying quietly together. Jethro was stroking Tony's hair while Tony ran his fingers up and down Jethro's arm.

"If my dad could see us now…"

Jethro snorted. "You think it would help?"

Tony raised his head and grinned at him. "Might send him running for the hills, never to be heard from again."

"In that case…"

Tony's smile softened. "Love you, Jethro. Thanks for putting up with me."

Jethro shook his head. "Love you, too. I don't just put up with you, you know."

"Yeah. I do."

Tony reached down, grabbing a t-shirt and using it to clean them off a bit. He tossed it on the floor and pulled at the blanket that lay folded over the back of the couch, managing to cover them both with it.

"We staying here?" Jethro asked.

"Yup. Alarm on my cell is set. Don't wanna move."

Jethro breathed deeply and wrapped his arms around Tony. "Me neither."

They were both asleep within a few minutes, illuminated by the soft glow of the lights at the work table.


	6. Chapter 6

_Life's been crazy the past month… seems as though every major aspect of it has experienced huge, unexpected changes. Most good, some very sad, all stressful and time-consuming. I wish I could say I'm in the clear to stay on schedule, but I honestly have no idea exactly what the next few weeks are going to bring. I hope to update regularly, but I make no promises right now. This is unbetaed… my writing time is so unpredictable that I don't want to keep poor gosgirl wondering if I'm going to call on her or not. Many thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, alerted… I promise to respond to all signed reviews, as always, although it might take longer than it has in the past._

6: Surprise

**Abby's Lab**

Abby turned up the music and danced around the lab as she straightened up before heading out for the weekend. It had been a fun day for her, if not for her favorite team. They were embroiled in some project of SecNav's, stuck in the office going over old cases unless something absolutely had to have the attention of the MCRT. Luckily for her, nothing had.

She liked days like these… it meant everyone was safe in the building, not getting shot at or blown up or framed for murder. Although she supposed the latter could happen no matter where they were, especially to Tony – but enough of that.

Tedious paperwork ensured that her friends would be in and out all day, manufacturing reasons to consult her on some piece of evidence, followed by time just hanging out. McGee had been to see her twice, Ziva three times, and Tony might have set a personal best… she'd lost count of the number of times he'd shown up. Gibbs had delivered three Caf-Pows. She'd taken the opportunity to quiz him about Tony's issues with his dad… everyone knew they'd been out to dinner, but Tony hadn't said a word about it to anyone who wasn't a blue-eyed silver fox. Gibbs hadn't been forthcoming, just asked her to tone down the Senior Admiration Society, which had earned him a pout and a protest that she wasn't part of that, it was McGee and Ziva. He'd nodded, signed an apology, and left.

Abby sighed as she contemplated Tony's relationship with his father. _Family should really _be_ family… like we all are. But I guess we don't always get to choose our families, do we? _

The sound of her office phone ringing interrupted her musings, and she darted into her inner sanctum to answer it.

"Abby's Labby, how can I help you?"

"_Hey, Abby, it's Howard at the front security check. You've got a visitor – want me to bring him down?"_

"Business or pleasure?"

There was a brief pause. _"Pleasure, or so he says."_

"Sure, I still have some clean up to do before I can leave. Thanks, Howie!"

"_See ya in a few."_

Abby hung up the phone and danced back out into the front lab, cleaning up the last of the test vials for that drug case of Pearson's. She was having a one-sided, animated discussion with Major Mass Spec when Howard knocked on the open door.

"Here you go, sir." He stepped back as she looked up, and Tony's father walked into the room. Howard sent her a wave and disappeared, while Senior stood there, a broad smile on his face, his outer jacket draped over one arm.

"Mister DiNozzo… um, hi!" She shifted nervously, unsure how to act, remembering Tony's shuttered look from earlier in the day when Ziva mentioned the man to him. "What brings you here?"

Senior moved forward, arm outstretched to pull her into a hug. "I didn't get to see you the other day when I stopped by Junior's desk. And I've told you before, call me Tony." He pulled back and grinned at her.

She smiled back. "I can't call you Tony! Tony is Tony. You're Tony too, but you're not my Tony, or at least, you're not the Tony I work with. It would get confusing to call both of you Tony."

Senior laughed. "You could call Junior Anthony… or Junior."

Abby shook her head. "I know you came first in the order of things if we look at time as a universal linear construct, but Tony came first in my life, like way before you did, so he gets priority for being Tony."

Senior set his jacket down on the lab table and raised his hands. "Far be it from me to contradict a lady as lovely as yourself."

Abby couldn't help it; she mimed a curtsy and gave him a big smile. "You're such a charmer. It's easy to see where Tony – my Tony – gets it."

Senior leaned in and spoke confidentially. "I'm sure it's in the genes. And I bet you could test for it."

"If I could isolate the charm protein, you bet I could!"

Senior's hands went to his heart. "Ah, I love a smart woman! What would you say if I were to ask you to run off to Bali with me?"

Abby smiled. "Tempted as I might be, I don't know that Gibbs would give me permission to leave. Not to mention Director Vance. And every time I leave my babies –" she waved her arm to indicate the equipment scattered around the room, " – something bad always happens."

"You're breaking my heart, ma cherie."

"Tres desolee, mon cher."

Senior raised his eyebrows. "You are a woman of many talents, my dear." His expression turned thoughtful. "Actually, I was hoping you might be able to help me out."

Abby bit her lip. "Me?"

Senior nodded. "It's about Junior, actually."

"Is Tony okay?"

"As far as I know. It's just… we had dinner Wednesday night, and I said some things that I guess upset him a bit. He's not returning any of my calls. I went to his apartment, but he's not there anymore. I was hoping you could tell me where to look."

Abby hesitated. Senior cocked his head, then smiled slightly. "He told me about his involvement with Agent Gibbs."

"Oh! He did? Okay… I guess it's alright then. I'm about to leave… I could drive you over there, if you want."

"That would be great, Abby. I knew I could count on you."

**Unwanted Visitor**

"Did you get extra cheese?"

Jethro paused in the act of unbuttoning his shirt. "What do you think?"

Tony poked his head around the bathroom door and grinned at him. "That you got extra cheese."

Jethro narrowed his eyes and threw his balled up socks at his partner. Tony laughed and disappeared back into the bathroom.

"Hey, Jeth, what do you want to do this weekend?"

Jethro yawned and scratched his head, then pulled his jeans on. "Thought maybe we could look at some plans… figure out what to build next."

"Yeah? Cool! What about a boat?"

Jethro smiled and shook his head. "What, you read minds now?"

"Only yours."

The doorbell rang. Jethro aborted his reach for a t-shirt and grabbed his wallet off the nightstand instead. "I'll get it."

He jogged down the stairs, debating about buttoning his shirt, then shrugged as he walked to the door. _Delivery guy's likely seen a lot worse._

Jethro opened the door, but instead of a college kid brandishing an extra-large sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese, there was Abby and Senior, the latter blinking at him while the former winced and bit her lip.

"Abs?"

"Hey, Gibbs… Tony's dad was trying to find him, said he knew about you guys… I thought it would be okay…"

Gibbs stood back and motioned for them to come inside, buttoning his shirt as he did so. Senior nodded to him and headed for the living room, looking all around. Abby followed, watching Gibbs' face. When he turned to her, she signed rapidly.

_I screwed up, Gibbs. I'm so sorry. It's just… he's family. _

_Not your fault. Should have guessed he wouldn't let it go. _

_What should I do?_

_Go upstairs, warn Tony._

Abby nodded and headed for the stairs, while Gibbs followed Senior into the living room. The older DiNozzo was contemplating the pictures of Shannon and Kelly up on the wall.

"Your daughter, I assume?"

Gibbs was silent for a moment, then grudgingly answered. "Kelly. And my first wife, Shannon."

Senior gazed at the pictures a moment longer, then turned toward Gibbs, a hint of shared pain in his eyes. "Losing Tony's mother was… excruciating. Can't imagine losing a child too."

Gibbs' jaw clenched tight for a moment. _To hell with it._ "You don't seem to be doing much to prevent it."

Senior's eyes narrowed. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Gibbs returned the stare. "Why?"

Senior pursed his lips and looked around the room. "He's my son. I have a vested interest in his well-being."

"Really."

"Does that surprise you?"

"Shouldn't. Not coming from a real parent. But you haven't exactly been father of the year."

Senior laughed humorlessly. "A direct hit! Well done, Gibbs." He looked around the room. "Most of this looks like it's from Junior's apartment."

"Most of it is. Some we bought together." He watched as Senior approached the DVD cabinet. "I made that for him."

Senior glanced back, a surprised look on his face. "It's nice work."

Gibbs inclined his head, saying nothing.

Senior looked around again, then finally settled his eyes on Gibbs. "So… you and Junior, huh?" Senior paused, waiting, but got nothing more than a slow nod. "You think that's appropriate, you being his boss?"

"Tony's an adult. We're together by choice."

"Pardon me for being a bit skeptical… Junior's never been with a man before. Took me by surprise when he told me the other night."

"I think much of what you said that night took _him_ by surprise."

"You think I'm overstepping."

"Aren't you?"

Senior looked back at the picture of Shannon and Kelly. "What if it were your daughter… Kelly, right? Kelly, in a relationship, and you had doubts?"

Gibbs swallowed hard, but before he could muster up a response, there was a growl from the entryway. He turned to see Tony standing there, as furious as he'd ever seen, with Abby close behind, eyes wide.

"You don't get to do that."

"Do what, Junior?"

"Say her name. You don't get to say her name, you don't get to talk about her… you have no right." Tony walked into the room, his posture screaming danger.

Senior raised himself to his full height. "I have every right. Junior, you're involved with your _boss_, for heaven's sake. Your male boss. Of all the choices you've made, this has to be one of the worst."

Tony was silent. Gibbs stared at him, willing his lover to look in his direction, but Tony simply glared at his father. Abby moved around him and walked quickly over to Gibbs, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Senior huffed impatiently. "Junior, enough already. I get it, I haven't been there for you, you were raised by television, I didn't come to your college games… you're a grown man. Get over it. I'll admit, I wasn't the perfect father, but at least you never wanted for anything. You're successful in your chosen career, even if it's not the career I would have chosen for you. I never tried to stop you from going into law enforcement… you're here, and that's a damn sight better than being a picture on a wall because your father couldn't keep you safe!"

Gibbs tried, but he wasn't quite fast enough to stop Tony as he rushed forward and slammed his fist into his father's face.


	7. Chapter 7

_Once again, finally. Work stress ended last week, but it took a while for the muse to kick into gear again. As always, many thanks to all those who reviewed and alerted on this story… I hope to pick up the pace now. This is unbetaed, as I still don't want to mess with gosgirl's head. But I thank her tremendously for all the support and encouragement and willingness to beta! As always, I don't own NCIS or anything from the show._

7: Aftermath

**Tony**

Tony was dimly aware of the _crunch _as his fist hit his father's nose. Senior staggered backwards, emitting a muffled sound of pain from behind his hands, which had shot up to stem the flow of blood. Tony moved forward, intent on he wasn't sure what, when he was tackled from the side, stumbling up against the couch and almost falling onto it. He tried to fight free of the strong hold around his waist, lunging at his father, but was brought up short by the tight grip and the words that tickled at his consciousness.

"Tony! Tony – stop, you don't need to do this, Tony…"

Tony stood still, staring at his father and breathing heavily, listening to the words in his ear.

"That's it, come on, come talk to me in the kitchen. Remember when you pulled me away from McGee? My turn now."

Tony relaxed slightly, realizing who was hanging on to him and why. He was still beyond furious, but even in this state he recognized that Jethro was the injured party here, and decided that if he wanted Tony to stop, he'd stop. He blinked rapidly and tried to slow his breathing, still glaring at his father, but his attention was now focused on Jethro.

**Gibbs**

Part of Gibbs appreciated the form Tony demonstrated when he hit his father. Another part was darkly satisfied, both for Tony's sake as well as his own, by the sound of the man's nose breaking. The rest of him, though, was already moving forward, intent on stopping his partner before he did something he would truly regret. He could see the rage and determination in Tony's eyes and grabbed him around the waist, hanging on tightly and holding him back.

He recognized where Tony had gone; he'd been pushed there by extreme anger a time or two, himself. He kept talking, not quite sure what he was saying, taking the opportunity when Tony relaxed slightly in his arms to look over at Abby.

Her hands were covering the lower half of her face, eyes wide, staring at Tony as if she'd never seen him before. Gibbs supposed that in a way, she hadn't. She rarely saw the team in the field. Her gaze shifted to meet his own, and he jerked his head toward Senior as he tightened his grip on Tony, trying to pull him out of the room. She nodded, clearly resolved to help, although he suspected helping Senior was the last thing she wanted to do.

**Tony and Jethro**

Jethro could see Abby encouraging Senior to sit on the couch, but most of his focus was on Tony as he gently but forcefully got his partner out of the room. Tony sagged against him as soon as they were out of sight of the couch, and Jethro shifted to stand in front of Tony, changing his hold to a hug. He rested his chin on Tony's shoulder, and murmured over and over again into the younger man's ear, "it's okay, you're alright, it's okay."

He stopped speaking as soon as Tony's arms came up and hugged him back.

Tony felt as though the world was spinning crazily, but that he and Jethro were still. _I hit my father. I broke his nose. Holy crap… but he deserved it. _

He drew in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Jethro."

Jethro's hand came up and lightly stroked Tony's hair. "For what? Not for hitting the bastard."

Tony huffed out half a laugh. "No, he's had that coming for a long time." He let go of his lover and stepped back a bit. "I'm sorry for the crap he said. Sorry that I brought him into your home."

Jethro's eyebrows shot up as he kept a light hold on Tony's arms. "You didn't bring him here. Abby did."

Tony shook his head. "I didn't mean that literally. And don't blame her. You know as well as I do that family's her weak point, and I'm sure my father picked up on enough of that in his last visit to charm her into helping him."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah." His eyes searched carefully searched Tony's face. "You okay?"

Tony shrugged. "Yeah. You?"

Jethro nodded. "Nothing he said about Kelly that I haven't said to myself at some point."

Frowning, Tony reached up and laid his palm against Jethro's cheek. "You don't still believe that you could have stopped it, do you?"

Jethro sighed and shook his head. "No, not really. Took a long time, but I've made as much peace with it as I can."

Tony'e eyes narrowed. "I'm going to make sure you get more."

"How you planning to manage that?"

"You'll see. Someday." He reached out and pulled Jethro into a hug that lasted a few seconds before he moved back and sighed. "Guess I'd better go face the music."

"On your six, Tony."

They moved back toward the living room, able to hear Senior speaking in a muffled voice but unable to make out the words. Rounding the corner, they saw the man sitting with his back to them and his suit jacket off, holding it balled up in front of his face. Abby's eyes were red-rimmed and angry, and she stepped away from him abruptly.

**Abby**

Still wide-eyed and more than a little freaked out, Abby maneuvered Tony's father onto the couch, then coaxed his jacket off and held it up against his nose.

"Tilt your head back."

"Abby! This is an eighteen hundred dollar suit!"

"Congratulations. You've already bled all over it anyway."

They were both silent for a few minutes, and then he pulled the material away from his face. "How does it look?"

Abby gave him a frank appraisal. "Bad. You're going to need to go to the hospital."

Senior grimaced. "That's not a good idea… I'm afraid I've let my health insurance lapse."

She stared at him. "Seriously?"

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm between projects at the moment. Money comes and goes in my line of work."

"I bet it does."

His expression turned dark as he brought the jacket back to his face. "Then again, I'm sure with the right lawyer I can make sure Junior and Gibbs pay for my expenses."

Abby stepped back, fighting the anger that made her want to cry. "_Don't._" Her voice shook a bit. "Don't you dare."

"What –"

"Just stop. You have no idea how much you've already messed with all of us. You're _not_ going to make it worse."

"I don't understand."

She dimly registered Tony and Gibbs standing there watching; they boosted her resolve. "Tony was off for days before you showed up. He couldn't even tell us himself that you were coming… Gibbs had to do it. And Tony is one of the bravest men I know." She started pacing a bit, her hands moving as she gathered steam. "You show up and you charm Ziva and Tim into thinking you're this awesome guy… and poor Tony's thinking I'm right there with them on the Senior bandwagon. Well, I'm not. I'm a scientist, and that means I'm observant. So I see what you do to him, even if I don't really get why. And, I mean, I like you and all, but I like Tony and Gibbs more, and I absolutely love them being together, 'cause they're both happier than I've ever seen them. And they think I'm all rah-rah-Senior-sis-boom-bah, but I'm _not_ – and I totally suck for thinking that you're sincere and you really want to make your relationship with Tony better, so I fall for your smile and your resemblance to Tony and I think you must be okay 'cause you're his _father_… but you're not and you said such horrible things and I screwed up and it's my fault Gibbs is upset and Tony is angry and you got hurt –"

"Abby."

She looked up to see Gibbs walking into the room, Tony not far behind.

"Not your fault."

She stood still, hunched over a bit, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I brought him here, Gibbs."

Gibbs drew her into a hug. "He could have found this place another way. Don't worry about it."

Abby returned the hug fiercely, her eyes drifting to the pictures on the wall. "I'm so sorry… you shouldn't have had to hear him say that about Kelly. You're so great with kids… you had to be an amazing father and she was so lucky."

Gibbs closed his eyes and simply tightened his arms around her. "Thanks, Abs," he whispered.

**Father and Son**

Tony waited until Gibbs and Abby stepped away from each other.

"Gibbs is right, Abby… you're not to blame. If anything, I should have just dealt with him, answered the phone and told him off. But I didn't, and here we are."

Abby ran over and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Tony." She paused for a moment. "You know, you punching him was kind of hot."

Tony stifled a laugh. "I'll have to see if Jeth thought so too." He pulled back and squeezed her arm, then moved to face his father.

Senior's eyes narrowed, but the effect was somewhat muted by the balled up jacket. "You owe me an apology, Junior."

Tony shook his head. "No, I really don't." He stared at his father until the older man looked away. "What you said to Jethro was unforgiveable. He's the most important person in my life; of course I reacted the way I did."

Senior shook his head, wincing a bit as he did so. "Junior –"

"My name is Tony. Or Anthony, if you prefer."

The wounded man stared at him. Tony blinked innocently. "You did sign the birth certificate with that name on it, right?"

A glance over at Gibbs and Abby showed the former smiling proudly at him while the latter stifled a giggle. Tony shifted his gaze back to his father.

"Maybe we can work this out, Dad. But you need to understand something… like you said, I'm a grown man. So _you_ get over it. Jethro's not my boss anymore, we have the same rank. We work together, we live together, we love together. This relationship I'm in isn't an experiment. It's real, and it's permanent, and I couldn't care less how much money Jethro does or doesn't have, because what he does have is worth far more than anything money can buy." Tony shot his lover a grin. "He's got me, after all."

Gibbs snorted, but didn't try to contain the huge grin on his face.

Tony cocked his head as he looked at his father. "You said last time you were here that you love me. Well, prove it. Respect me for who I am, accept my choices and actively support them, or leave me the hell alone."

He stared at the man a moment longer, then turned away and walked over to Gibbs.

"I'm going to take off for a while… need to think about a few things. Can you handle this?"

"Like I said, Tony… on your six."

"Thanks, Jeth." Tony brushed a light kiss over Jethro's lips, smiled at Abby – although the smile didn't quite reach his eyes – and headed out.

Gibbs and Abby looked at each other. "You two _so_ have to get married," Abby whispered.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and moved forward, unceremoniously reaching out to pull the jacket away from Senior's face. He inspected the damage, meeting Senior's eyes with a neutral expression. "I'll take you to the hospital."

Senior shook his head. "I'll be fine." His voice was remarkably subdued.

"You want to look like you went a round with Mike Tyson?"

"That bad?"

"Yup."

Abby chimed in. "He doesn't have health insurance."

"Great."

"We could call Ducky," she suggested.

"Gotta do something." Gibbs reached for his phone, only to realize it was still on the dresser upstairs. "Got your phone, Abs?"

Abby nodded and went in the other room to make the call.

The two men stared at each other for a few minutes. Senior looked away first. "Junior… Tony seems to think I owe you an apology, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs simply stared back.

Senior sighed. "Much as it pains me to admit it, he's right. I never should have brought your daughter into the conversation like that. I'm sorry."

Gibbs stared at the man a moment longer, making him shift uncomfortably. Then he shrugged. "Seems to me you owe your son a lot more than you owe me."

Senior nodded, but remained silent.

Abby came back into the room. "Ducky's on his way. He went all Scottish on me when I said you needed him 'cause you didn't have insurance, so I don't think he's too happy. I couldn't really understand what he said, though."

Gibbs smiled at Senior. "You think Tony's scary when he's pissed? Wait until Ducky gets here."


	8. Chapter 8

_Unbetaed once again, all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback! _

8: Setting Them Straight

**Concern**

Senior sat forward in the chair and lowered his head a bit; blood immediately began flowing from his nose. He swore quietly and leaned back, bringing his ruined jacket back up to his face.

Gibbs stood contemplating the man for a moment, then turned to Abby. "What's Ducky's ETA?"

Abby looked at him, a worried expression on her face. "Maybe thirty or forty minutes? He said he has a friend visiting, needs to drop him off before he comes over here." She glanced at Senior, then grabbed Gibbs by the hand and tugged him out of the room. "Gibbs… should Tony be by himself? I mean… he's kind of upset. And it's my fault… maybe I should go after him?"

Gibbs shook his head and laid the palm of his hand against her face. "Told you already, not your fault. The man's a con artist." He leaned in to kiss her forehead, than sighed quietly. "Let's give Tony some time to calm down."

Abby bit her lip. "I really think he needs someone there, Gibbs. You should go find him."

Gibbs' eyebrows shot up. "Not leaving you alone with Tony's dad, Abs."

Abby's brow furrowed. "Well, I'm not leaving you alone with him either. He's said enough already."

"Think I need protection?"

She looked at him. "Yes. You've protected all of us plenty of times. Let me return the favor."

It took a moment, but Gibbs smiled softly and pulled Abby into a hug. "Okay, Abs. Thanks."

They stood there for a moment, then Abby pulled away. "You should at least call him."

Gibbs sighed and nodded, then headed upstairs to grab his phone. He glanced at Beaker as he entered the bedroom, feeling the strangest urge to hug the bear instead of delivering the usual head slap. Chuckling softly at himself, he shook his head and reached for his phone, only to let him arm fall to his side as he spotted Tony's cell sitting next to his own. "Aw, hell."

He thought for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he had an idea. Picking up his cell, he hit speed dial 4 and waited.

"_Boss?"_

"Hey, McGee… you busy?"

"_Uh, nothing that can't wait, I guess. We have a case?"_

"No… Tony just broke his dad's nose and took off. Doesn't have his phone…. I was thinking maybe you could go find him while I wait here with Senior for Ducky."

"_Tony did what?! Why?"_

"You should ask him… and Tim? Listen to what he has to say."

Gibbs ended the call and headed back downstairs. _Hope Tony takes the opportunity, _he mused.

**Change of Plans**

McGee grinned as Ziva made yet another aborted move for the gun she wasn't carrying at her hip. She warily watched the vampire walking past, then turned to grimace at her companion. The noise of the crowd was deafening, and it interfered with her ability to gauge the many apparent threats around them.

"You do this for fun, McGee?"

"Absolutely."

She blinked at a wookie having an animated conversation with Wonder Woman. "And do you usually dress up for these… gatherings?"

"Conventions. And no, I don't… but it's fun to watch everyone else."

They headed out of the huge room dedicated to dealers' tables, and moved along the wide corridor, where it was a bit quieter. Security guards were monitoring a roped off area where hundreds of women seemed to be waiting for entrance into one of the auditoriums.

"What is all that about?"

He looked, then grinned. "Panel for a tv show… Supernatural. Always very popular with women."

"Panel?"

"Actors, producers… people involved with the show take questions, talk with the audience. The actors from this show are usually pretty funny."

They drew even with the doors; there was a large poster showing three handsome men with serious expressions. Ziva's steps slowed and stopped. "I think I might like to see this."

"You'd need tickets… I doubt there are any still available."

She stared at the poster a moment longer, then sighed and resumed walking. "What is the show about?"

"I've only seen it a few times… brothers who fight monsters and demons. They work with an angel."

Ziva turned to look at him. "Really." She shook her head. "You have strange interests, McGee."

He was about to retort when his phone rang. Grabbing it off his belt, he grimaced when he saw Gibbs' name come up. "Hold on a sec… it's the boss."

"We are not on call this weekend," Ziva pouted as McGee held up a hand and walked away from the excited throng of females. The noise level was rising as the doors opened and they began streaming inside.

"Ziva!"

She turned to see McGee jogging back toward her.

"We have to leave… gotta go find Tony." He set off at a fast clip toward the exit.

"Why? What has happened?"

McGee shook his head. "I don't know the details… but Gibbs is with Senior, waiting for Ducky. Tony broke his nose."

"He did what?!"

They made it to the exit, holding out their hands to be stamped so they could get back in without paying a second admission fee. A quick march to the car followed; McGee didn't answer her until he was pulling out of the lot.

"You know as much as I do. Where does Tony go when he's upset?"

Ziva shook her head. "His apartment… so maybe now the house?"

"I don't think so… Gibbs told me to find him, so I'm thinking he's already checked there."

She thought for a moment. "A bar, then. One that is quiet. He will want to think."

McGee nodded. "Sounds right. I'll drive, you look for his car."

**Team Talk**

Tony sat at the bar, staring at the beer bottle in his hands. His thoughts were jumbled up, bouncing from memories of his father from his childhood, to the sound of his fist hitting the man's nose, to the expression on Jethro's face when Senior used Kelly as a weapon. For a split second his partner's devastation was clearly visible; he'd hidden it, but not fast enough to keep Tony from leaping to his defense.

_So what now? Do we try to fix this? Always wanted Dad's attention… but it's not worth it if he's can't accept me with Jethro. We're a package deal – always will be if I have anything to say about it._

Tony shook his head and raised the bottle to his lips, taking a healthy swallow and muttering to himself as he set the bottle back down. "Jethro's a hell of a lot more important than Senior could ever be to me now."

He rested one elbow on the bar and ran a hand through his hair. _Should think about heading back. Don't know if I want to miss Ducky facing off with Dad… should be fun. Wanna be there for Jeth too._

"How many is that, Tony?"

Startled, Tony jumped slightly and turned to see Ziva settling onto the stool to his right, while McGee stood at her shoulder.

Ziva's eyes widened. "I am sorry… I did not mean to startle you."

"What are you guys doing here? Thought you went to that comics thing."

"Comic Con," McGee supplied helpfully.

"I did not see many comics." Ziva looked puzzled. "There were many people dressed up as monsters, though."

Tony blinked.

McGee gave him a half smile. "Separate room for comic book dealers at the convention… just the way it's set up. I was going to show Ziva the weapons dealers when Gibbs called."

Ziva turned to look at him. "Weapons?"

"Knives, mostly. Swords, that sort of thing. No guns."

"We should go back." Ziva shifted her gaze to Tony. "But not until we are sure you are alright."

Tony rubbed hand over his face. "And again I ask, what are you guys doing here? Gibbs called?"

McGee nodded. "You left your phone at the house."

Tony's hand went to his belt; he grimaced. "Jeth's gonna be pissed."

"I don't think so." McGee's eyes searched Tony's. "He sounded worried, not angry."

Ziva leaned forward. "How many beers have you had, Tony? Will you need a ride home?"

Tony raised his bottle in a silent toast, then finished it off. "Why, you want to flirt with my dad some more? Sorry to disappoint, but this is my first and last. I'm fine to drive."

"Tony…" McGee hesitated for a moment, then straightened up a bit. "Gibbs said you broke your dad's nose."

"He's lucky that's all I did."

"Why'd you do that?"

Tony glared at him. "You assuming I'm the unreasonable one, Timmy? Senior's so charming, his screwed up son must be the bad guy." Tony stared at them, then exhaled loudly at their bewildered expressions. "My loving father conned Abby into bringing him to the house, where he proceeded to give Jethro a hard time about not protecting Kelly… so yeah, I broke his nose. Probably would have done more than that if Jeth hadn't stopped me."

"You are not screwed up, Tony." Ziva reached out to him, but drew her hand back when he shifted away from her.

"Could've fooled me, the way you two have been singing his praises since you found out he's in town. Senior this, Senior that, why don't you invite him to join us… too bad I'm with Jeth now, Ziva, Senior's bucking to be your father-in-law."

"He is _what_?"

"Dear old dad wants to make sure I'm taken care of when he's no longer around to pretend he gives a damn… thinks you might have the financial resources to support both of us in his old age."

Ziva stared at him. McGee shifted uncomfortably. "Tony…" His hands moved aimlessly as he tried to come up with something to say.

Tony sighed and shook his head. "Look, I appreciate that you left your cult happening to come find me… you can call Gibbs and let him know I'm coming home."

"Tony," McGee tried again.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

McGee's expression hardened. "Damn it, Tony, you're our friend. We're not here just because Gibbs called. We care about you."

Ziva reached out again and this time her hand rested on Tony's forearm. "Talk to us, Tony. Why do you think we are more interested in your father than in you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the way you smile at him, the way you're both so eager to see him."

McGee grimaced. "I was just trying to… actually, I'm not sure what I was trying to do." He cleared his throat and tried again. "I guess it was kind of – fun, sort of, to see you off balance last time he was here. You're not usually like that… and after all those years of you giving me a hard time, it felt a bit like I was getting some of my own back. But if I'd known it bothered you so much… I'd have toned it down, really."

Tony stared at his empty beer bottle and picked at the label. Ziva squeezed his arm. "Tony," she said quietly, "I am sorry. I did not realize how much it hurt you, how much he has hurt you. If I had, I would not have been so nice to him. You must admit, though, that you are good undercover… we did not know how much it bothered you."

Tony shifted his weight and let his head fall back. "I'll give you that one… it's not something I try to advertise." He looked at each of them. "I should have spoken up, I guess. Dad's always kept me off balance, ever since Mom died. It's part of what makes him such a great con artist. I grew up never knowing where I stood with him, never able to trust his motives… and always feeling second best when he was around. He still does it to me, even now."

McGee reached out to grip Tony's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Tony. Things between me and my dad aren't great either – I should have clued in. I get it, really."

"You both know Eli is no walk on the playing field… I should have realized. I will do better, Tony. I have your six."

Tony chuckled a bit at her mistake, but didn't comment. "Look, you guys should go back to your shindig. I'm going to head home."

"We will go with you, if you want?"

Tony shook his head. "Dad's more likely to be tractable if he has less of an audience. And Jeth and I may have some things to work out." He stood up, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and throwing a couple of bills on the bar. "Hey, Tim… was Abby supposed to go with you to this convention?"

"Yeah… the three of us were talking about making a day of it tomorrow."

"Good. She's feeling pretty crappy about bringing Dad to the house… might help."

McGee nodded. "I'll give her a call in a few."

Tony looked at them both. "Thanks, guys." He gave them a jaunty wave and headed for the door.

Ziva and McGee exchanged glances. "We really screwed up, yes?"

McGee nodded. "Yeah."

"In our defense," Ziva began – but McGee cut her off.

"Nuh uh, Ziva… we need to take responsibility for this one."

She thought about it for a moment. "You are right. We will show him that he is more important to us than his father." She stood. "Now shall we go look at some knives?"

**Scottish Wrath**

The silence in Gibbs' living room was growing uncomfortable when the knock finally came. Gibbs shot to his feet and walked quickly to the door, while Abby gave a sigh of relief. Senior was holding an ice pack against his nose and looked apprehensive.

Gibbs opened the door to see Ducky standing there, frowning and holding his medical bag.

"Hey, Duck."

"Where is the numpty, then?"

"Um… what?"

"Please, Jethro, you may not be familiar with the word, but I'm sure you can read into the tone."

"Sure can," Gibbs said, smiling slightly.

Ducky looked at him impatiently. "Do lead on, Jethro. The sooner we get this taken care of, the better. Where's Anthony?"

"McGee is out looking for him."

"Good. Is he alright?"

"I'll know that when I see him."

Ducky followed Gibbs into the living room, motioning for Senior to stay put when the man went to get up. The M.E. set his bag down on the coffee table and stared at Senior. "We haven't been properly introduced, I'm afraid, although I have seen you before even though you haven't seen me."

Senior sent Gibbs a confused glance, but received only an impassive stare in reply.

"I'm Dr. Mallard… I work with Jethro and Anthony." He looked over at Abby. "Abigail, my dear, are you alright?"

She smiled at him. "I'm fine, Ducky."

"That's good. Why don't you go into the kitchen… you too, Jethro. I have a few things to say to our friend here, and they might go over easier without an audience."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, but reached for Abby and gently steered her out of the room. Ducky turned and stared at Senior, then reached out and took hold of his wrist, moving the ice pack out of the way. "Oh, lovely. Our Anthony did a splendid job. What provoked it, I wonder?"

Senior cleared his throat. "They didn't tell you?"

"Only what happened, not why."

Senior gave him a smile that was really more of a grimace. "I… may have said things about Gibbs' daughter that I shouldn't have."

Ducky's face hardened. "Either you did or you didn't. Which is it?"

Senior winced as Ducky began palpating his face. "I guess I did… ow! Careful!"

"Do you want this fixed or not?"

"Fixed, of course."

"Well, then." Ducky went back to what he'd been doing. "What did you say, exactly?"

"I… implied that I've been a better father than Agent Gibbs because my son is still alive."

Ducky stepped back and stared at the man. "Nae fool like an auld fool," he muttered, then moved forward again. "Given how much our Anthony cares for Jethro, I'm frankly surprised you're still walking." His fingers moved to Senior's nose and the man gave an undignified yelp as he was handled none too gently. "Be happy I wasn't here at the time."

Ducky let go and turned to his bag, opening it up and rummaging through it. "You really should be seen at a hospital. Abigail said you have no insurance?"

"Yes, well, funds are a bit stretched at the moment, I had to prioritize… but you Scots have a reputation for being tight with money, so I'm sure you understand."

Ducky straightened up and stared at the man. "We're tight with money but not stupid," he said, his tone clearly disgusted. "And you've clearly been stupid in more ways than one."

Senior bristled a bit at that. "I haven't –"

"Oh, don't even start with me. Ae scabbit sheep will smit a hirsel… and I won't have you polluting this house any worse than you have already." He looked around, spotted the picture of Kelly on the wall, and walked over to it, taking it down and returning to his previous position. He held it in front of Senior's face. "Take a good look at her, Mr. DiNozzo. She was a beautiful girl, and meant the world to that man in the other room. She lost her life because her mother wanted to do the right thing, while her father was overseas defending his country. It's been many years, and it's only now that he's been able to put her out here where he can see her. That's in large part due to your son – who is one of the finest men I've been privileged to befriend. And you," Ducky's voice rose even as his tone became more menacing, "you have the utter gall to insult both men in their own home. You aren't worth the agony you've caused your own child – if you don't want him, I will be more than happy to claim him as my own!"

Senior sputtered but Ducky didn't give him a chance to form a response.

"I'm going to have to straighten this out," he said, suddenly turning professional. "Do grab on to the arms of the chair… it's liable to hurt a bit."

Senior's eyes widened. "Now see here," he began, but Ducky took hold of the man's face and nose, and the resulting scream resonated throughout the house.

Ducky smiled, turning Senior's head this way and that. "Much better," he commented.

Senior glared at him. "Sadist," he muttered.

The smile faded from Ducky's face. "Oh, no, not at all." He leaned in, his voice turning positively feral. "If I didn't respect the oath I took when awarded my medical degree, well, then you'd understand the true meaning of that word."

Senior sat back, growing pale.

"Now then," Ducky said briskly, "we'll need to pack the nasal passages, and you'll have to be very careful for the next several days. You must allow the bone to heal." He began the process, and Senior winced with every move the older man made.

Finally Ducky stepped back. "Now," he said, "here is my advice to you. First of all, get health insurance as soon as possible. You're a grown man, stand on your own two feet. Second, do everything you can to get back in Anthony's good graces. That young man deserves a real father, and from what I have heard, he's never had one."

Senior's face grew red. "Junior never lacked for anything."

"Of material concerns, I have no doubt. But a father's love and care? I think not. Third… make your peace with Jethro. He and Anthony are very happy together, and each is stronger when they're together than when they're apart. You have no hope of forming a better relationship with your son if you can't accept his partner. From everything I've heard and seen, if forced to choose, he won't be choosing you."

Senior looked perturbed at that. Ducky rolled his eyes. "Barmpot!" he muttered. He glared at Tony's father. "We tight-fisted Scotsmen have a saying: a body's no broke while they hae a gude kail stock. That means when all is not lost, all can be recovered. You can make this right, but the ball is in your court, I'm afraid. And frankly, I'm not entirely sure you can hit it properly – but both Jethro and Anthony are good men and compassionate enough to let you try, despite everything."

He packed up his kit and stood. "Jethro, would you come back in here please?"

Gibbs came into the room, with Abby not far behind. He looked at Senior for a moment, his lips twitching into a slight smile before looking at his friend with a more innocent gaze. "Yeah, Duck?"

"I have done all I can for this… man. Have you heard from Anthony?"

Gibbs nodded. "McGee called a few minutes ago. He and Ziva found Tony in a bar not too far from here; they said he's okay and heading back home."

"Very good." He glanced back at his patient. "I shall drive Mr. DiNozzo back to his hotel. Abigail, my dear, you look tired. I suggest you go home… I'm sure Jethro and Anthony will want some time alone, in any case."

Abby looked at Gibbs, who nodded and motioned toward Ducky; she smiled and hugged him, whispering 'sorry' in his ear quickly before heading for the door. "Tell Tony I'll call him tomorrow!"

Senior gathered up his jacket and took a step toward Gibbs; a sharp 'not now' from Ducky was enough to get him to change direction and move toward the door. Ducky walked up to Gibbs and handed him the picture of Kelly.

"Jethro… I'm sure if Kelly could see you now, she'd be proud." He patted his friend on the shoulder. "Do say hello to Anthony for me when he returns – and tell him he did an excellent job on that man's nose." The M.E. grinned suddenly and headed out after his charge.

Gibbs let his shoulders slump a bit as soon as the front door closed behind them all. He looked down at the picture of his daughter, blinking rapidly as his fingers traced her hair. He stood lost in thought for a few minutes, but was straightening it back on the wall when the front door opened.

"Jethro?"

"In here."

He was still looking at Kelly's picture when Tony's arms came around him from behind.

"Saw them leaving," Tony murmured. "Waited until Ducky pulled away from the curb to park and come in."

Jethro nodded and leaned back against his lover for a moment, then turned around to face him. "Glad you're home, Tony."

Their eyes met for several seconds, and then Jethro pulled Tony into a tight hug and they stood there, in front of his first family's pictures on the wall, letting the tension from the evening fade, each taking strength from the other.

**Author's note: **

_Tremendous thanks to gosgirl for her help with Ducky's tongue-lashing of Senior. _

_Barmpot and numpty: idiot _

_Ae scabbit sheep will smit a hirsel: one bad character may pollute a whole company_


	9. Chapter 9

_Once again, can't thank you all enough for all the great feedback. Unbetaed and proofread in a bit of a rush, so there may be a few errors scattered around. _

9: Baby Steps

**Tony and Jethro**

Jethro's arms tightened around Tony's waist; the younger man sighed and relaxed into his partner's arms.

"You alright?"

Tony nodded, resting his forehead on Jethro's shoulder. "I will be. You?"

"Yeah."

They stood unmoving a while longer, then Tony pulled back a little, reaching up to cup Jethro's face in his hands and plant a quick kiss on his lips. "Good idea you had, sending McGee."

Jethro's eyebrows rose. "You take advantage of it?"

"Sure did." Tony shot him a small grin. "Got two for one. Ziva was with him."

"Good."

Tony stepped back a pace and reached up to rub his neck. "We'll see… Tim gets it, anyway. Not sure about Ziva yet."

"Don't think they meant to hurt you, Tone."

Tony shook his head. "I don't really think so either. They seemed genuinely surprised." He turned toward the kitchen. "Want dinner?"

"Sure."

Jethro followed Tony into the kitchen and leaned against the wall, watching while Tony hunted for something to eat.

"Stir fry okay?"

"Fine with me, as long as you're cooking."

Tony grinned at him. "I'll cook, you tell me what happened after I left. Complete with Ducky's accent."

Jethro rolled his eyes. "You know I can't do Ducky impressions."

Tony pointed his wooden spoon at him. "So? Do it anyway."

Jethro talked while Tony cut up chicken and veggies and got dinner going. He saw Tony suppress several smiles at his atrocious attempts to mimic their friend; he also saw his lover wince at his description of Senior's scream when Ducky set his nose.

Preparations didn't take long. They worked together to get the food and a couple of beers on the table, then ate in comfortable silence. Tony finished first, then sat back, beer in hand, watching while Jethro got the last of his food off his plate.

"You liked?"

"I liked."

They grinned at each other, and Tony laughed. "Who'd have thought we'd have gotten so domesticated?"

Jethro chuckled and shook his head. "No one I know."

They clinked their beers together and drank. Tony set his bottle on the table and contemplated it for a moment. "Abby okay?"

Jethro nodded. "I think so. Got the seed planted that it wasn't really her fault."

"Glad to hear it. Her heart's several sizes too big, sometimes… but I wouldn't want her to change." Tony took another sip. "Tim said Abby's supposed to go to that convention with him and Ziva tomorrow, so that should help."

Jethro downed the rest of his beer and stood, gathering the plates. "Sit," he said when Tony started to get up. "You cooked. This is my job."

Tony inclined his head and settled back down. Cleaning was done in a few minutes; Jethro motioned for Tony to toss him his empty beer bottle, caught it, rinsed it, then put it in the recycle bin. The older man then cocked his head and looked at Tony carefully. "You look tired."

"Yeah, well… it's not every day I break my father's nose."

"Probably a good thing."

"Probably."

Jethro walked over to him and held out his hand. "Come on."

Tony looked at him for a second, then reached to grasp the outstretched hand and accepted the help to get to his feet. "Where to?"

"Bed."

Tony blinked. "Alrighty then."

Jethro smiled, turning out lights as he led Tony to the stairs. "I'm going to give you a back rub. We're going to talk about what's next, and then you're going to sleep."

"I am?"

"You are."

A short interval later, the bed had been turned down and Tony lay on his stomach, sheets up to his waist, head propped on his hands, while Jethro straddled him and worked on his shoulders. The massage was meant to soothe, but Jethro wasn't aiming to get Tony to sleep, at least not right away, so he varied the touches frequently.

"So… where do you want to go from here with your father?"

Tony sighed. "I'd love to ignore him until he goes away. But…"

Jethro waited, then prompted. "But?"

"Ziva pointed out that she and McGee didn't really know how bad things were for me, with my dad. And she's right. If I wanted them to leave it alone, I should have said something."

Jethro kept working, shifting to Tony's upper back. "That mean you're going to talk to him?"

"I guess. I mean, I should, you know? I broke his nose. And he is my dad."

"Which is why you didn't confront him at the hotel, last time he was here."

"Which is why I didn't confront him. And which is why I'll go see him tomorrow."

Jethro's hands got to work on Tony's left arm. "Straighten this out... there. Feel good?"

"Of course."

They were silent for a while. Jethro finished up with Tony's arms and hands, then sat back so his rear rested on Tony's. "You're not planning on apologizing, are you?"

"Hell no."

"Good. I'd hate to have to smack you upside the head."

Tony snorted at that, rolling onto his side as Jethro swung his leg over and reached to put out the bedside lamp. Tony lifted the sheet, and Jethro scooted under. They shifted around until Tony's head rested on Jethro's shoulder and his hand covered Jethro's where it lay on his stomach.

"You want me to go with you?" Jethro asked quietly.

Tony entwined their fingers. "Thanks for the offer – but no. I need to do this myself."

Jethro moved his free hand, reaching up to run his fingers through Tony's hair. "Okay."

"Feels awesome," Tony said after a moment. "Thanks for everything, Jeth."

"Of course."

Tony smiled and squeezed Jethro's hand. He snuggled into his partner's shoulder, pressing a kiss to his neck.

"'Night, Jeth. Love you."

"Back at ya, Tony."

**Father and Son  
**

Tony stood in the hall, chewing on his lip for a moment while he stared at the door to his father's suite. "Get a grip, DiNozzo," he muttered to himself. Shaking his head, he raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door.

It only took a few seconds for Senior to open the door; father and son stood staring at each other.

"Junior."

Tony drew himself up to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the older man. Senior stared back for a second, then sighed and shook his head. "Anthony."

Tony inclined his head. "May I come in?"

"This isn't the best time, Ju – Anthony. I have an appointment for a massage in about five minutes."

"So I gathered from the bathrobe." Tony's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Reschedule."

"What?"

"Far as I know, there's nothing wrong with your hearing. Call the front desk and reschedule."

Senior blinked and stared at him. "I…"

Tony tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. "Prove to me you give a damn, _Dad_."

Senior's eyes narrowed. "I always gave a damn."

Tony looked back at his father and waited. Senior met his gaze, then sighed. "Come in."

Tony stared for a moment, then walked quickly in when Senior stepped back from the doorway.

"Make yourself at home," the elder DiNozzo said as he closed the door and headed for the phone. "I'll just be a minute."

Tony sat on the couch, tapping his fingers on the arm, watching while Senior hung up the phone and headed into the bedroom. A few minutes later he emerged, dressed in casual slacks and a grey Versace cotton polo shirt. He sat on the other end of the couch and the two men just looked at each other.

"Nice look, with the raccoon eyes," Tony commented.

Senior stared for a moment, then actually laughed. "You should see the other guy."

"Got away without a scratch, did he?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

They stared at each other again.

"Want to take a shot at me?" Tony asked.

Senior looked at him thoughtfully. "You going to apologize?"

"Not a chance."

Senior nodded, then shrugged. "I confess to being angry last night. But… I deserved it."

Tony sat up a bit. "Really."

Senior snorted. "Yes, really." He shook his head, his gaze wandering around the room. "I didn't sleep well last night. I kept running it all through my head, trying to figure out where I went wrong… not just last night, but with you, when you were growing up." He looked at Tony. "Then it occurred to me that you proved to me last night that I didn't go so wrong after all."

"Because I broke your nose?"

"That, among other things."

Tony reached up to scratch the back of his head. "Now I'm confused."

Senior smiled. "Son… you defended your – what should I call him?"

Tony shrugged. "Partner works well enough."

"Alright. You defended your partner. You stood up to me… you realize you've never really done that before?"

Tony frowned. "I thought I did that when I chose Ohio State, and again when I became a cop."

"Ah," Senior raised a finger in the air. "And where were you when you did those things?"

Tony thought for a moment, then a quick grin flashed across his face. "Miles away."

"Exactly. Last night was the first time you took a stand when we were actually in the same room together."

"I pointed a gun at you during your last visit," Tony protested.

"That's not quite the same thing."

Tony thought about that. "Alright… I'll give you that one."

They fell silent again.

"So what now?" Tony finally asked.

Senior sighed. "I don't really know." He sat back a bit and considered his son. "Anthony… when your mother died, I fell apart. I wasn't there for you for a long time, and when I finally came out of it enough to see you, I didn't know how to bridge the gap between us. And for that, I am sorry."

Tony blinked rapidly, then nodded. "Okay."

Senior gave him a crooked smile. "I realize I can be a bit… heavy handed, at times." Tony widened his eyes and stared at him. "Please, cut the sarcasm," Senior commented. "As I was saying, I can be a heavy handed. I really did come here with good intentions."

"To find me a rich wife."

"Well, yes. But in my defense, it's not like you'd told me about this new relationship of yours."

Tony snorted. "Because you tell me about all your weddings and divorces."

Senior chuckled. "Point made." He shifted a bit in his seat. "So tell me… how did you and Agent Gibbs end up together?" He watched closely as his son's expression lightened and his smile reached his eyes for the first time that Senior had seen since he'd come to D.C.

Tony looked down at his hands. "Let's just say it was a surprise to both of us… nothing we ever expected, but we've been together since last May, and… we're happy, Dad. Jethro's it for me."

Senior nodded. "I finally realized that sometime around three a.m."

Tony looked over at him curiously.

Senior smiled. "Many years ago, before we were married, we were out on a date when a business acquaintance stopped by our table and insulted your mother. I saw red, leapt to my feet, and decked the idiot. Broke his nose, actually." The smile faded and he looked seriously at his son. "I realized that I played the role of the idiot yesterday, when I said what I did to Agent Gibbs. And I also realized that I knew what you felt when you hit me."

Tony gave him a half-smile. "How did mom react when you hit the guy?"

Senior grinned. "She kicked him in the shins while he was lying on the ground."

"That's awesome."

The smile faded from Senior's face. "Anthony… I know I have a lot to make up for. Last time I was here – you said you wanted a closer relationship." His eyes met Tony's. "Do you still want that?"

Tony sat back and rubbed his hand over his face. "Honestly? I don't know. Maybe… if you can accept Jethro's place in my life."

"I already have."

Tony looked at him skeptically. "We'll see."

Senior huffed out a breath and his eyes wandered around the room before settling back on his son. "What if I make an effort… a real effort?"

"No promises – but that's more likely to work than if you wait for me to do it."

Senior nodded. "Then I will be in touch soon."

Both men rose to their feet as things suddenly became awkward. Senior walked with his son to the door. "Anthony… for what it's worth, I do see that you have good people in your life. Your Dr. Mallard was extremely effective at getting me to see the error of my ways."

Tony smiled. "Ducky's brilliant like that."

"He offered to adopt you as his own son, you know."

"He did _what_?"

"He did." Senior smiled. "Said he'd claim you as his own if I didn't step up to the plate. I paraphrase, but that's the gist of it."

"Wow." Tony stood there for a moment, then shook himself a bit and reached for the door. He opened it, then stood there uncertainly. "I'm not going to be getting any phone calls from rich debutantes, am I?"

Senior laughed. "Not to worry, I canceled those this morning."

Tony stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking. Senior gave him a Cheshire cat grin, then shooed him out. "My massage appointment, Anthony. I could only delay it so long."

Tony stepped out into the hall and looked seriously as his father. "Bye, Dad."

"See you soon, son."

The door closed while Tony was still standing there. He tilted his head to the side, then laughed quietly. _Dad's got to get the last word._ He started smiling as he walked to the elevator, though, once he realized it didn't bother him.

He thought over the conversation as he rode the elevator down to the lobby, wondering if his father meant any of it… then shrugged it off and decided he'd much rather devote his mental energy to making plans for the rest of the weekend.

Stepping out of the elevator, Tony was brought up short at the sight of Jethro leaning against one of the pillars in the lobby, watching the elevators. He shook his head at the man when their eyes met, but couldn't help smiling as they walked toward each other.

"Thought I told you not to come."

Jethro grinned at him. "I've got your six, Tony. You know that."

"Yeah, I do."

They headed for the front doors, Jethro pivoting and falling into step with Tony. "You break his nose for him again?"

"Nah."

"So it went alright?"

"Actually, I think it did. Ball's in his court now."

Jethro nodded. "You didn't apologize, did you?"

Tony's hand flew up and he gave his partner a light smack to the back of the head. Jethro laughed and reached up to rub at the area. "Just checking."

Grinning, they headed for their cars and home.


	10. Chapter 10

_Unbetaed, as usual now, and as always I thank everyone for the wonderful feedback. A few references here to events in earlier stories in the series, and a warning for m/m activity in the middle of this chapter._

10: Relaxing and Remembering

**Together**

"Jethro, don't you – I swear, you come one step closer and you're gonna regret it."

Jethro smirked at him. "Oh, really?"

"Yes." Tony drew himself up to his full height, placing one hand on his hip and pointing the handle of the rake at his partner with the other. "One step closer and there will be dire retribution."

Jethro shifted the pile of leaves in his arms and considered the distance between them. He looked back up at Tony, tilted his head slightly, then took a giant step forward.

"That's it!" Tony threw the rake down and charged. Jethro flung the pile of leaves at the other man, hitting him square in the face, then quickly jogged backwards as Tony frantically swiped at the leaves in his hair.

"_Gah_! Bugs! Crunchy stuff!" He straightened up and glared at Jethro, who was still backing away, grinning from ear to ear. Tony bared his teeth. "That's _it_!"

"You said that already," Jethro pointed out as he turned to run. He only made it a few steps before Tony tackled him into the pile of leaves they'd spent the last hour raking up.

A wrestling match ensued, with Tony trying to pin Jethro down and Jethro fighting and twisting around onto his back. They ended up with Tony holding Jethro's wrists down into the leaves.

Jethro looked up at him. "Well?"

Tony smiled. "Dire." He leaned in and kissed the tip of Jethro's nose. "Retribution." His lips brushed lightly against Jethro's.

"Eek," Jethro muttered. He tugged against Tony's hold a bit; Tony let go, and Jethro's hands went to his neck and the back of his head, pulling him down into a more heated kiss. Tony hummed low in his throat, then slowly withdrew. "Maybe we should take this inside."

Jethro ran his thumb over Tony's cheek. "Not a bad idea… hey – is that a tick?"

Tony yelped and leapt to his feet, once again brushing frantically at his hair, face, and clothes. He took off running for the house, yelling something that Jethro couldn't quite catch. The older man stood, brushing himself off, then looking around at the leaves on the ground and those still up on the trees. He sighed, then ducked his head a bit, laughing quietly as he followed his lover into the house.

Tony was already in the shower by the time Jethro made his way upstairs. Jethro was debating joining him when Tony's cell rang; recognizing Abby's ringtone, he picked it up.

"Hey, Abs."

"_Gibbs! Where's Tony? Is he okay?"_

Jethro huffed out a laugh. "He's fine."

"_Then why are you answering his phone?"_

"He's in the shower."

"_Did I interrupt something?"_

"Nope."

"_Then why is Tony taking a shower in the middle of the day?"_

"'Cause I just gave him a face full of leaves."

Abby laughed. _"He got all bug paranoid, didn't he?"_

"Yup."

"_Is he okay? I mean, after breaking his dad's nose and everything?"_

Jethro was about to answer when the bathroom door opened and Tony stepped out, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The older man's eyebrows shot up, and he gave Tony a quick once over, grinning when he met his lover's eyes, before speaking.

"You can ask him yourself." He held the phone out to Tony, mouthing 'Abby' as he crossed the room to take a seat in the comfy chair, stretching his legs out in front and resting his head on interlocked hands, enjoying the view.

Tony smirked a bit at Jethro, holding his gaze as he spoke into the phone. "Hey, Abs, what's up?"

"_Tony! Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine."

"_Have you talked to your dad?"_

"Uh huh. Went to see him this morning."

"_He's not taking legal action, is he?"_

Tony blinked, looking away from Jethro's frank appraisal. "What? No! Did he say he would?"

"_He sort of threatened to, but I was hoping I talked him out of it."_

"He didn't say anything about that."

"_Good. 'Cause if he tries anything, I'm gonna kill him and leave no forensic evidence."_

Tony grinned. "You need a new threat. That one's starting to lose its potency after all these years."

"_It's new to him!"_

"Well, yeah, but he's not exactly here to hear it."

Abby was silent for a few seconds. Tony walked over to where Jethro was sitting, and reached out to run his fingers through Jethro's hair, which was long enough to fall over his forehead. Jethro looked up at him, but otherwise stayed still.

"_Tony… do you think you and your dad will work it all out?"_

"Dunno. Ball's in his court now. We'll see."

"_I hope he comes through for you."_

Tony shrugged, getting a curious look from his partner. "Either he will or he won't. I'm not about to lose any sleep over it."

"_I bet Gibbs has been awesome. Has Gibbs been awesome?"_

Tony grinned down at Jethro and winked, getting a smile in return. "Jethro's been a rock."

"_It's amazing that you guys have gotten through all of this without fighting. I mean, with all the stress…"_

"Um… actually, we kinda had a small fight." Tony made a face at Jethro, who rolled his eyes. "It was on me, though." Jethro nodded emphatically; Tony scrunched up his nose and stuck out his tongue at him.

"_You fought?! Seriously?"_

"All couples fight, Abby!"

"_I know! But I was starting to think you guys didn't. You went all that time… wait! When was it?"_

"What?"

"_The fight! When?"_

"Um… Thursday?" He looked at Jethro, who tilted his head and gave him a blank stare. Tony pulled the phone away from his face. "When did we have that fight?" he whispered. "You know, when I stormed out of here."

Jethro thought for a moment, then nodded. "Thursday. Did that really qualify, though?"

Tony shrugged, then spoke into the phone. "Yeah, Jeth says Thursday. After work."

"_Okay… hold on… that means Jimmy won the pool!"_

"Jimmy? I thought it was Vance."

"_No, he was next week."_

"So what does the Autopsy Gremlin get?"

There was a pause. _"I think it's up to a thousand dollars."_

"A thousand?!" Tony stared at Jethro, who shook his head and laughed quietly.

"_Well, we started it when you moved in together, everyone chipping in twenty-five a week, and it's been about eight weeks…"_

"Vance is gonna be pissed."

"_Probably, yeah."_

"Tell Jimmy not to buy shoes. He has to spend it on something nice for Breena."

"_Will do!"_

"Alright, Abs… I'm gonna go. See you Monday?"

"_You betcha! Say bye to the Bossman for me!"_

"Hey, Abby – thanks."

Tony ended the call and glanced over at Jethro, who smiled at him before shifting his gaze to Tony's bare chest. Tony grinned at him. "Bet I know what you're thinking."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Tony pointed at the bathroom. "Shower first. You might have crawly things on you."

Jethro grinned and stretched before standing up, then grabbed Tony's towel as he passed by, removing it with a flourish.

"Hey!"

Tony grinned as Jethro tossed the towel back in his direction and disappeared into the bathroom. He caught the towel and used it to dry his hair a bit before throwing it into the bathroom and heading for the bed. He got under the sheets and stretched, then lay in the mid-afternoon sun that was making its way in through the windows, closing his eyes and waiting.

Tony was vaguely aware of the sound of the shower shutting off, and of Jethro moving around in the room before his warm body joined him in bed. He lay still, keeping his eyes closed as Jethro's fingers lightly skimmed over his chest and abdomen, stretching as that same hand moved down his thigh and then back up to rest on his chest. He felt Jethro lean in close, and then heard his lover's voice in his ear.

"What do you want, Tony?"

Tony smiled and hummed a bit at the sound of that voice. "Anything you want."

Jethro nuzzled into Tony's neck. "Fine by me."

Tony was then subjected to a long, leisurely exploration of his body. When he tried to reciprocate, Jethro lightly grasped his wrist and shook his head. "Let me. Wanna take care of you."

Tony looked up at him. "You did that last night."

Jethro smiled. "This is different."

"Okay. Long as you let me return the favor soon."

"Wouldn't miss that for anything."

Jethro shifted over, covering Tony with his own body and leaning in to nibble lightly on his lips. He gradually deepened the kisses while stroking Tony's side, keeping his touch gentle but not so light as to tickle. Tony hummed into Jethro's mouth, enjoying the slow build of arousal.

Jethro's tongue played with Tony's while he ran his fingers through Tony's hair. Eventually his mouth left Tony's and moved to his neck, his hand gripping Tony's hair a bit harder, pulling his head to the side while he nipped, licked and sucked on the younger man's neck.

Tony finally moved his hands to rest on Jethro's sides, caressing lightly as he tried to abide by Jethro's wishes and let him do most of the work. Jethro gradually moved from Tony's neck to his chest, paying attention to first one nipple then the other, getting Tony to gasp and moan and shift around restlessly on the bed.

He let go of Tony's hair, moving further down, nipping at Tony's stomach and making his lover laugh. He kissed the tip of Tony's hard cock, fondled his balls while lightly biting his hip, then moved to his inner thighs, paying attention to both while one hand moved along Tony's leg and the other began stroking his cock.

Tony was breathing hard by the time Jethro sat up and nudged him to turn over, reaching for the lube in the nightstand while Tony got comfortable on his stomach. Jethro spent time on the back of Tony's neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark, caressing his shoulders and arms, then moving slowly down his back before taking hold of both cheeks and massaging them in long, smooth strokes that had Tony groaning and pleading for more.

Eventually Jethro spread lube on his fingers and set to work loosening up Tony's anus; the massage had given him a good start, and it didn't take long for Tony to be ready for him. Jethro slicked up his own cock and then slid the head past the ring of muscle, getting a long, drawn out moan from Tony as he did so. He shifted his weight forward and slowly slid further in, shifting back and forth a bit to let Tony get used to the stretch. It wasn't long before he was in as far he could go, pressing Tony down into the mattress and laying still, feeling his lover trembling beneath him.

"Jeth, please… not gonna last… need you."

"You've got me, Tone… promise, you've got me."

Jethro set a slow rhythm, pulling almost all the way out then sliding all the way back in, refusing to speed up no matter how much Tony begged. Eyes closed, face turned in to Tony's neck, Jethro slowly ran his hands up Tony's sides to his arms, gripping his wrists. His legs lay almost flat against Tony's, angled just enough to give him the traction and leverage to continue moving his hips. He kept going, just like that, keeping the pace the same, listening to Tony's litany of 'please' and 'yes' and 'god, Jeth,' until it disintegrated into moans and groans and gasps.

Tony's body was tensing up beneath his, and still Jethro kept the same maddening, consistently slow pace, reveling in the build-up of his own tension, knowing both he and Tony were getting close. Tony was shaking now, alternating gasping for breath with soft cries of pleasure.

Tony's orgasm caught both men by surprise; Tony gave voice to a long, drawn-out groan as he clenched around Jethro's cock. Jethro's breath hitched but he held back his own pleasure, drawing it out and waiting until Tony relaxed. Then he went back to the same slow pace, gasping for breath in his own turn while Tony moaned and hummed with pleasure, still shaking from his climax.

Jethro's muscles suddenly locked up, his hips jerked forward, and he came deep in Tony's body, holding his breath and tightening his grip on Tony's wrists for a long moment before he was spent and his body relaxed.

They lay there for several minutes, catching their breath, until Jethro regained enough presence of mind to slowly withdraw. As soon as he'd moved back and out, Tony turned around and captured Jethro's mouth in a deep kiss.

Their arms went around each other, and Tony rolled onto his back, pulling Jethro into his usual position with his head resting on Tony's chest.

"Love you, Jeth… so much."

"You too, Tony. You too."

They lay there quietly for a few minutes, before Tony sighed loudly.

"Scoot over a bit, Jethro. I'm lying smack in the middle of the wet spot."

Jethro laughed softly and moved over. Tony followed and resettled; their arms went back around each other and within minutes they were both asleep.

**Conversations**

Tony woke slowly, feeling relaxed and very mellow. He stretched and sighed, turning on to his back. He reached up to rub at his eyes, then turned toward Jethro's side of the bed to look at the clock. _Wow… slept longer than I expected. Almost dinner time. Guess that's where Jeth disappeared to._

Tony stretched again, debated with himself about staying in bed until Jethro came to get him, then decided to get up and help out. He hopped back in the shower for a quick rinse, drying off and throwing sweatpants and a t-shirt on before heading downstairs. The kitchen turned out to be empty, which was a bit of a surprise. _Basement door's shut, so he's not likely down there._ Tony stood still and listened, but didn't hear anything. _Maybe he went to pick something up? No note… _

A check out the window showed all their vehicles sitting in the driveway. Tony ran a hand through his hair, then jogged back upstairs to see if he'd missed a note on the dresser or one of the nightstands. He glanced out the window as he moved toward Jethro's side of the bed, and spotted his lover sitting under one of the large trees in the backyard.

Tony tilted his head and watched him. Jethro's face was mostly hidden by the multicolored leaves, but Tony was an expert in the man's body language, and he could see that something was off. After a few seconds of internal debate, he went back downstairs.

A minute later he walking across the lawn to where Jethro was still sitting. The older man, dressed in sweats much like Tony's, looked up and gave him a small smile, then reached out a hand. Tony moved close enough to take it in his own, and looked down at his lover in the fading light.

"You okay?"

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He looked around, then back up at Tony, tugging on his hand. "C'mere. Sit."

Tony smiled and sat facing Jethro. "Getting dark," he commented.

"Yeah."

They sat quietly for a moment, then Jethro squeezed Tony's hand. "I'm proud of you."

Tony blinked. "How come?"

Jethro tilted his head a bit. "The way you stood up to your father. Was good to see."

Tony smiled. "Wasn't easy. Nothing ever is, with him."

"You gonna be okay if he doesn't follow through?"

Tony thought about that, then nodded slowly. "You know what? I really think I am." He laughed suddenly. "Dad told me Ducky offered to adopt me if he won't step up to the plate. I could always take him up on his offer."

Jethro smiled. "Good."

Tony rubbed his thumb over the back of Jethro's hand. "How about you?"

"How about me what?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Jethro shifted his hand to lace their fingers together. They sat quietly for a while; when Jethro spoke, Tony almost had to strain to hear him.

"Used to sit out here, under this tree, and read to Kelly. Started when she was a few years old… tree was smaller then."

Tony watched Jethro's face while he gazed into the distance, seeing memories.

"We were reading one of Shannon's favorites from when she was around Kelly's age before I deployed that last time… a book about kids in England around the turn of the century, whose father disappeared." Jethro was silent for several minutes. "We got about halfway through the book the night before I was going to leave. I remember the title of that chapter had something to do with valor." He smiled softly. "Explained the concept of valor to her… she said since I was a Marine, I must have a lot of it."

Tony grinned when Jethro laughed. Jethro glanced over at him and shook his head, turning serious. "I told her to finish reading the book with her mom while I was gone. She said no, that it was our book to read and she'd wait until I came home."

Neither man spoke for a while. Tony eventually cleared his throat. "Something else unfinished… like telling her the truth about fireflies."

Jethro sighed. "Yeah."

Tony lifted his free hand to squeeze Jethro's shoulder. "Jeth… don't take my father's words to heart."

Jethro shook his head, then shrugged. "No… just wish…" His voice trailed off and he reached up to run his hand through his head and rub the back of his head.

"Want some time alone?"

Jethro tightened his grip on Tony's hand. "You mind?"

Tony shook his head. "Of course not." He let go of Jethro's hand and leaned forward to press a kiss against his temple. "I'll go in the basement and look over the plans for the boat, make a list of questions for you." He stood up and looked around. "Stay out here as long as you want. Call for a pizza or something when you come in."

Jethro looked up at him. "Thanks, Tony."

Tony grinned at him. "No problem. I can do a little snooping down there while I'm at it."

"You mean you haven't looked through everything already?"

"Nah. I'm pacing myself."

Jethro laughed quietly. "I'll be in later."

Tony nodded and went inside. He stopped off in the kitchen, rummaged through the cupboards for a snack, then headed for the basement, shutting the door behind him as he flipped on the lights. He spent a few minutes looking at the plans for the boat, writing down some things to ask Jethro, then tossed the pen down on the table.

"Shannon? You around?"

He waited a few minutes.

"Shannon?"

_Hi, Tony._ Shannon's voice was warm and welcoming.

"Hey. Um… did you pick up on all the craziness the past few days?"

_I knew you and Jethro were upset, on and off. I didn't want to spy on you, so I didn't say anything… and then things seemed better._

Tony nodded. "Yeah, they are. To make a long story really, really short, my dad showed up, said some things. Kinda have that part dealt with, though."

_Does your father object to you and Jethro being together? _

"Not so much that as the fact that Jeth isn't a multi-millionaire capable of contributing to dad's business ventures."

Shannon laughed. _Well, no… although I'd imagine that even if he did have that kind of money, he still wouldn't contribute._

Tony grinned. "Probably not." He looked around and pulled a rickety chair away from the workbench, sitting on it carefully. "Can you tell what Jethro's feeling right now?"

There was a pause, then Shannon's voice sounded closer. _He's happy, and I think that's related to you._

"Really?"

_Is that so surprising?_

"No… guess not. Anything else?"

Another pause. _There's an underlying sadness too. Is something wrong between the two of you?_ She sounded worried.

"No, I think we're good. Really good, actually. But yeah, sad is good word. And that's why I want to talk to you."

_Is there something I can do to help?_

"Yeah, I think so."

Tony took a deep breath and glanced up at the closed door, willing Jethro to stay outside just a bit longer. Then he turned toward where he thought Shannon might be, if she was anywhere, and started talking.

_Author's Note: Gibbs is referring to the book The Railway Children by E. Nesbit._


	11. Chapter 11

_The first part of this chapter contains a reference to events described more fully in chapter 3 of my Missing Scenes from the FIOverse, which shows things from Shannon's perspective on the other side. There's also a minor spoiler here for the movie Bull Durham, as well as the episode Hiatus._

_Tremendous thanks go out to gosgirl for the beta read – her input was invaluable for making Shannon a more well-rounded character. _

11: Need to Know

**Convincing Shannon**

"I have a feeling you're not gonna like this… and I don't know why, but I want you to know that I respect your opinion. You know a lot more about Jethro than I do, but I kinda feel like I know the guy he is now maybe better, and it feels funny to say that… I think it's true, though –"

_Tony._

"- so I don't want you to get upset with me, and go all Poltergeist or something – not that I know you can actually do that, since you said you couldn't move or touch anything on this side, but hey, maybe if you get pissed off enough, you could –"

_Tony!_

Tony jumped a bit. "Um, what?"

Shannon laughed. _You're babbling! Just come out and say it already._

"Yeah, I do that sometimes." Tony reached up and ran his hands through his hair, then sighed deeply. "Jethro needs to be able to talk to Kelly."

He waited, but got only silence.

"Shannon?"

When she finally responded, it was so quiet and plaintive that he had to strain to hear it.

_Why?_

He spoke in a rush. "My dad… he said some things. Basically said he was a better father to me than Jeth was to Kelly 'cause I'm still alive."

_Your father blames Jethro for what happened to Kelly? What the hell?!_

Scenes from various movies featuring angry ghosts flitted through Tony's head. "Um, don't kill the messenger, okay?"

Shannon growled. _Tony, don't be silly. I'm not going to hurt you. Your father, though… if I could!_

"No need. I took care of that already."

_You did?_

"Yeah… broke his nose."

_For Jethro? I think I love you._

Tony blinked. "Uh… let's not make Jeth jealous, okay?"

Shannon laughed, and Tony let out a relieved breath at the happiness in that sound. _Don't worry about that, Tony. I think Jethro's confident of his place with both of us._

"Now this is getting really weird," Tony muttered.

_But why did your father say those things?_

"You're deflecting," he pointed out, "and I should know, since I'm the master-deflector. So stop it and let's get back to the point here."

Shannon sighed. _I really did want to know why, Tony. I care about you._

"My history with my dad is a long, long story. Kinda boring without popcorn and a good soundtrack. I think maybe things are getting better, though. But – back to Jethro, 'cause I'm not letting this go." Tony paused, chewing his lip a little, than forged on. "Jethro beats himself up for not having kept her safe, has ever since you both… died."

_I know he does. I've tried to talk him out of it, but he won't listen._

"He'd listen to Kelly."

_It's not a good idea, Tony. _

He winced at the sadness in Shannon's voice. "He's doing better, though, since he found out you were real. I think it would help him."

_Did he ever tell you what he went through after he lost us?_

"No. I can guess some of it."

She sighed. _He almost died._

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened?"

_I don't know exactly what led up to it. I was still learning how to – how to be, I guess, over here, so I hadn't tried to talk to him like I do now._ She was silent for so long that Tony worried she'd left, but then she spoke up, her voice unusually dispassionate. _The first time I crossed over to see him, I felt a strange pull. Ju- a friend of mine told me I needed to go to him, so I followed that pull, and found Jethro on a beach where we all used to go camping. He was sitting there, with his gun in his hands, pointed at his own face._

Tony inhaled sharply; his arms fell to his sides and he had a strong feeling he might be sick any moment.

_He didn't do anything, obviously – but he might have if I hadn't been able to reach him, let him know how much I loved him. _

Tony swallowed, then breathed deeply, trying to get his churning insides to settle. "He's… he's not that guy anymore."

_No, he's not._ When she spoke again, she sounded closer. _Tony, some of that is due to you. He was going through the motions for a long time, tried to move on with those wives, but couldn't. His job gave him purpose, but he shut himself away from people for years. He started to live again when he let people in… Ducky, Abby, you… the three of you helped him truly start to heal. _

"So why not let him talk to Kelly? He's not in danger of… he's not going to hurt himself."

_We tried, once. _

"What?"

_Kelly crossed over with me. We thought he could handle it. It was after you'd started working with him – he was smiling more. He and I had been talking on and off – he thought it was his imagination, but he seemed fine with that. We didn't know if Kelly could talk to him, but we wanted to try… and it backfired. Horribly._

"What happened?"

_He fell apart._ Tony could hear tears in her voice. _He started shaking, turned pale, then threw things, screamed, cried… Tony, it was awful. He drank so much – I thought he was going to drink himself to death that night. It was a horrible thing to put him through, and it upset Kelly. I sent her back before she could see the worst of it, but still… I just don't want to put any of us through that again._

"I'm so sorry. For all of you, I'm so sorry." Tony took a deep breath. "I've told Jeth that if I could give you both back to him, I'd do it in a heartbeat. He's got you back, Shannon – he knows you're real, he didn't know that then… he needs Kelly too." He held up a hand, anticipating protest. "He does. He's not that guy – he's got family again, people on his six. He's… balanced, now, and he wasn't back then. He's got me, and I'll be there with him. I'll pour all the bourbon down the drain if you want."

_Tony…_

"Shannon. I wouldn't ask, wouldn't put you and Kelly through this if I didn't think Jethro really, really needs it." Tony paused, tilting his head to one side. "You know, we might be having our first fight here, which is weird. I'm fighting with the ghost of my lover's wife."

Shannon laughed. _We're not fighting. We're having an adult discussion about a difference of opinion._

"Yeah, but you really want to head slap me right now, don't you?"

_Yup._

Tony smiled. "You Gibbses, you're all the same." The smile faded. "Look… obviously my relationship with my dad sucks. It has for a long time, ever since my mom died. It's not something I like to talk about, and I have very, very mixed feelings about whether I want the guy in my life. He's here, though, and ignoring him isn't going to make all the crap from growing up go away." He walked over to the workbench and fiddled with a few of the tools lying there. "There's a point here, really." He looked up, searching the room as if he could discover where she was. "I didn't want to face up to a lot of it, didn't want to talk about it with anyone, not even Jeth. But by doing that, I made everything worse. Jeth and I, we had our first fight. And some of my other friends, they said and did some things that hurt me. A lot. But if I'd been up front about what was going on, and what I needed from them, none of that would have happened. Actually… if I'd been open about it, Abby never would have brought Dad here and he wouldn't have said what he did to Jethro, and maybe none of this would matter."

Tony leaned back against the bench. "Point is, they needed to know. I needed them to know, even though I didn't _want_ them to. And Jeth needs to know, really know that Kelly is happy, that she doesn't blame him, that she's not grieving for the life she didn't get to live."

He stopped talking and waited. After a few minutes of silence, Shannon spoke again.

_I get it, Tony, I do. You may very well be right… maybe with you there, he'd be okay. It's a risk, though, you can't say it's not._

"Nope. I can't."

_Let me think about it, talk to Kelly. No promises._

"Thanks, Shannon. I mean that."

_I know you do._ Shannon chuckled. _I can feel it._

"What do you mean, you can feel it?"

There was no answer, and the room felt different, emptier, so Tony sighed, pushed off the workbench, and made his way up the stairs.

**Just Being**

A glance out the window as he emerged into the kitchen showed it was pitch dark outside; his conversation with Shannon must have taken longer than he'd thought. There was a light on in the living room, so Tony made his way there to find Jethro on the couch, reading a book.

"Hey."

Jethro looked up, peering at Tony from over the rims of his glasses. "Hey, yourself." Jethro sat up, setting the book and his glasses on the coffee table and stretching before leaning back. "Pizza will be here soon."

"Knew there was a reason I loved you." Tony grinned at Jethro's eye roll and flopped down on the couch. He turned his head to look at his partner, who was smiling slightly. "How come you didn't come downstairs?"

Jethro shrugged. "You let me have some space. Thought I'd return the favor."

Tony reached out and took Jethro's hand in his. "Cool."

"Find anything interesting down there?"

Tony waggled his eyebrows. "Hope so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means I can't tell you – it's a secret."

Jethro's eyebrows shot up. "You're keeping secrets from me in my own basement?"

Tony pouted. "Thought it was our basement now."

Jethro laughed and tugged on Tony's hand until the younger man slid forward, his head resting on Jethro's chest so Jethro could run his fingers through his hair. "It is. You can have your secrets, Tony… I don't mind."

Tony snuggled into Jethro's side. "Hoping it won't be too long before I can share this one."

Jethro squeezed Tony's hand but didn't say anything.

"What'cha wanna do after pizza?"

"Not sure." Jethro shook his head. "Think I just want to be, tonight… if that's okay."

"Bull Durham."

"What?"

"That's pretty much what Kevin Costner says to Susan Sarandon at the end of the movie Bull Durham… that he just wants to be."

"So you're Susan now?"

Tony snorted. "By analogy only."

"Okay."

Tony squirmed around to look up at him. "You ever seen that movie?"

Jethro shook his head.

"Wanna watch it?"

"Sure."

Tony jumped up and went looking for the DVD, just as the doorbell rang. Jethro took care of the pizza, bringing paper towels to double as plates and napkins until Tony turned away from the TV and glared at him before heading to the kitchen to get real plates and coasters to put under the pizza box.

"You don't put pizza on a coffee table of this quality, Jeth."

"I wasn't going to… was going to put it on paper towel on top of the coffee table."

"You're impossible."

Jethro just reached out to ruffle Tony's hair.

They watched the movie in relative silence, barring Tony's comments. When it was over, Tony turned to Jethro.

"Did'ja like it?"

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I did. Fun movie."

"Not just a chick flick."

"Nope."

Tony got up and put everything away, motioning for Jethro to stay put. It didn't take long, but when Tony returned to the living room, Jethro's head was against the back of the couch and his eyes were closed.

_Damn… he looks tired. _Tony bit his lip and shook his head, then moved forward, leaning in to run his fingers through Jethro's hair. "Hey, Jeth."

Jethro's eyes opened and he blinked a few times before smiling wryly. "Sorry… dozed off for a second there."

"Come on, let's get you upstairs and to sleep."

Jethro sighed then nodded, and the two men made their way up the stairs. It wasn't long before they were both under the covers, Jethro's head resting on Tony's chest, his arm across the younger man's abdomen, and their legs twined together.

Tony went back to stroking Jethro's hair. "Want me to hit my dad again? I can break something else if you want."

Jethro chuckled. "Nah. That's okay… he might really decide to press charges."

"More likely just sue us for emotional distress."

"He'd be more distressed to find out how much money I don't have."

"I'm sure he's already done some digging." Tony sighed quietly. "Dad gets combative when his plans are threatened. Wouldn't be the first time he's said something in anger that he didn't really mean."

Jethro shook his head. "He's not making me feel any worse about things than I already do, Tony… just brought it to the top of the list."

Tony laid his hand on top of Jethro's. "What can I do to help?"

"You're already doing it." Jethro propped himself up on one elbow and brushed a light kiss across Tony's lips. "You've got my back the way no one has since Shannon… means the world to me."

Jethro settled back down as Tony reached over to switch off the bedside lamp.

"Me too, Jeth… me too." He pressed a kiss to Jethro's hair, then lay awake for a long time while Jethro slept.


	12. Chapter 12

_I know… this took a long time. It was difficult to figure out exactly how I wanted this to go. After several false starts, here it is. I may have taken some liberties with the videotape release date for a movie – I consider that poetic license. _

_Tissue warning._

12: Knowing

**Wondering**

Tony came awake slowly, stretching and yawning before he turned to look at the clock. It was after 8 a.m., which was a little surprising, since Jethro was still asleep. Tony rubbed his eyes, turned over so his back was to his partner, and gazed at the window. _Great morning light in here_, he mused.

He felt Jethro shift around a bit, then an arm landed a bit heavily over his side. Tony grinned as Jethro cuddled up to him in his sleep. _Wish I had a picture._

Tony sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself doze while he ran the previous evening's conversation with Shannon through his head. What he'd found out about how difficult things had been for Jethro bothered him, but he still felt strongly that Jethro needed Kelly back in his life. _I just hope Shannon can see that. _ He didn't know her very well, and without any expressions or body language to go by, he had no idea if she was leaning toward letting it happen. For all he knew, it might be years before Jethro got to talk to his daughter again – or maybe not until after he died. _Now that's a pleasant thought._

"Tony?" Jethro's voice was sleep-laden but concerned.

"Hey, Jeth. You woke up."

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You tensed up. Woke me."

Tony reached over and stroked Jethro's arm. "Sorry. Just… thinking about my dad again. I'm okay, though, really."

Jethro hummed and tightened his arm around Tony, then sighed and relaxed. It wasn't long until he was clearly asleep again.

Tony felt a bit guilty about the white lie, but he couldn't see raising Jethro's hopes. _What if Shannon decides they can't do it? What if Kelly is afraid to cross back over, after what happened the first time?_ _I just hope Shannon's not mad at me… can't have been easy to hear me tell her I know Jethro better than she does now._

Tony finally dozed off again after philosophically shoving his worries aside, knowing there was nothing more he could do about any of it, at least for now.

He woke some time later to the feel of Jethro's hand moving slowly from his lower leg, up over his hip, his side, over his shoulder and neck, the fingers running through his hair, and then making the return journey back down. Tony lay there, basking in the intimacy of it for a while, then he sighed. "Feels great, Jeth."

"Mmm hmm."

A kiss landed between his shoulder blades, and he smiled. "Trying to tell me something?" He could feel Jethro's lips on his skin forming a smile.

"Yup."

"And what would that be?"

Tony's eyebrows rose as Jethro's hand moved to his back and one finger started tracing patterns on his skin. "Letters? What are we, in high school?"

Jethro chuckled, but didn't say anything. Tony grinned and closed his eyes, concentrating. "Start over."

A single straight line down his back. "That's easy. 'I'"

"Yup."

Jethro's palm moved across Tony's skin, erasing the first letter. Then his finger traced a line down, curving back up, then down and up again. "W"

Erase and trace again. "A"

"N"

"T" Tony smiled. "You know I always want you too, Jeth."

Jethro tapped his finger on Tony's back. Tony turned his head to look at him, and Jethro shook his head, which got a pout from his lover. "What do you mean, no?"

Jethro grinned, then began tracing more letters.

"F"

"O – food?! You're hungry?" Tony turned around to see Jethro nodding at him seriously. "Wow. The honeymoon is over, isn't it?"

Jethro laughed. "Come on, I'll make breakfast."

Tony shook his head. "No, you won't. We forgot to go grocery shopping."

Jethro sighed. "I'll jump in the shower and run out to the store."

"Want me to go with you?"

Jethro sat up and scratched the back of his head. "Nah. You hang out, relax. Try not to think about your dad." He leaned in and kissed Tony gently on the lips, then got up and headed for the bathroom. He poked his head back out a moment later. "I'll make up for this later, Tony. Don't make any plans for this afternoon." He shot Tony a wicked grin and disappeared.

Tony smiled and turned over onto his back, relaxing with his hands under his head while he contemplated the possibilities.

**Family**

It was late morning, and Tony was relaxing on the couch with a book while Jethro was at the hardware store, getting a part he needed to fix the sink, which had suddenly started leaking after Tony cleaned up the breakfast dishes. It was the book about the movie industry that Jethro had given him when he'd left for Seattle; it wasn't often Tony found time to read, so he was only halfway through.

He was just finishing the current chapter when he was interrupted.

_Tony?_

He sat up quickly. "Shannon?"

_Hey._

"Hey yourself… everything okay?"

_Everything's fine… where's Jethro? _

"Ran out to the store – he should be back soon."

_Can you bring him down to the basement when he gets back?_

"Of course… Shannon, what's up?"

_Just remember you've got his back, Tony._

"Always. So… this means Kelly's here?"

_Not yet… she'll join us after you guys come downstairs. She's only crossed back over once, so she's not really used to it. Probably a good idea to let her conserve her energy._

Tony looked around the room. "Too much light in here?"

_You got it._

"I'll bring him down… you need me to call you or something when we get there?"

_No need… I'll be paying attention. Tony… thanks. Kelly and I had a talk, and you're right – not just about Jethro, but about Kelly too. It's time._

"Wow… um, okay. Great. Uh – see you soon, I guess."

_No, you won't._ She sounded amused.

"Yeah, you got me there."

_Tony… just be aware that we can't tell you much at all about what it's like on the other side. It's not allowed… if we say too much, we won't be able to come back._

The sense of her presence faded, and Tony just sat there for a moment, his eyes huge. "Ah, man… this better go well."

Jethro returned a short time later to see Tony pacing around the living room. "You're gonna wear a path in the floor."

Tony's head shot up, and he blinked. "Jeth! You're here."

Jethro tilted his head to one side. "Don't sound so surprised. I live here."

Tony reached up to run his hand through his own hair. "I'm not… I mean… um, could you just come down to the basement?"

Jethro's brow furrowed. "Now? I was going to fix the sink."

"Yeah… well, that can wait."

"Tony. What's going on?"

Tony bit his lip and extended his hand. "Please? Just come?"

Jethro automatically reached out to take Tony's hand in his. Tony turned and tugged him toward the kitchen and the door to the basement; Jethro dropped the bag he was carrying on the counter and followed Tony downstairs, where they both sat on the couch.

He watched Tony's eyes dart around the room, also noting Tony's leg bouncing with nervous energy. "What's going on?" he asked gently.

_Hi, Jethro._

"Shannon!" Jethro smiled. "It's good to hear your voice."

_Yours too._

"You know what's going on with Tony?"

_Yes, and it's his own fault._

Jethro tensed, gripping Tony's hand harder. "What do you mean?"

_Jethro… someone here wants to talk to you._

Confused, Jethro glanced over at Tony, who met his eyes for a moment, then reached up to lay his palm along Jethro's cheek. "Love you, Jeth. Remember that."

"Tony, what the hell –"

_Hi, Daddy!_

Jethro crushed Tony's hand in his own. Eyes wide, he scanned the basement. "Kelly…?!"

_Yup, it's me! I've missed you, Daddy._

"Oh, God…" Jethro whispered. "Kelly…" He reached out toward where her voice seemed to be coming from, and then heard a giggle from the opposite side of the room.

_I'm over here!_

Jethro's lips twitched into a slight smile, even as his eyes filled with tears. "Really? I don't see you."

Kelly giggled again, this time her voice sounding right next to his ear. _Of course you don't, silly! I'm a ghost… boo!_

Jethro's laugh was choked with tears; he let go of Tony's hand and reached up to wipe at his eyes. "You like being a ghost, Kels?"

_I'm not a ghost most of the time, Daddy. Only when I'm over here. Over there I'm just me. _

Shannon spoke up, her voice a warning. _Kelly._

_Don't worry, Mom, I'm careful. I want to be able to come back and see Daddy again. And Tony! Hi, Tony!_

Tony's eyes widened; he glanced at Jethro, whose hands were covering his eyes as he clearly tried to get himself under control. "Um, hi, Kelly!"

_Mom! He can hear me! _

Shannon laughed. _I see that. Thought maybe he could._

_Well, if you and Daddy are soul mates and Daddy and Tony are soul mates and you and Tony are soul mates, maybe Tony and I are soul mates too?_

Tony sat back heavily. "Wait… what?!"

Shannon sighed while Kelly laughed again. _Kelly, maybe you shouldn't have said anything yet. _

_Why not?_

Jethro rubbed his hands over his face, then reached out to take Tony's hand again. "Because, Kels, Tony's gonna freak out now."

Tony turned toward him indignantly. "No, I'm not!"

Jethro just raised an eyebrow at him.

Tony leaned forward a bit. "Really, Jeth… not freaking out. Promise." He squeezed Jethro's hand.

_Daddy?_

"Yeah, Kelly?"

_Tony told Mom that you're sad about me. _

"Tony's right."

_You shouldn't be sad, okay? It wasn't your fault. _

Jethro's eyes filled with tears again. "Kelly –"

_It wasn't! You were fighting the bad guys and protecting our country. You didn't know there were more bad guys here, and you didn't know Mom saw one of them, and the cops tried to protect us but they couldn't. _

"If I'd been there…"

_Maybe you'd be here with us now. And then you and Tony wouldn't have fallen in love. And Tony would be sad._

Jethro couldn't help but smile at that. "How could Tony be sad about not being in love with me if he never met me?"

_Daddy! Don't ruin my story._

Jethro laughed at that, and Tony finally started to relax a bit. "I dunno, Jeth… I think I'd have gone through life knowing something was missing."

"And what would that be?"

Tony grinned at him. "True love."

_Tony! You're supposed to say it like this: twue wuv._

Tony grinned. "A Princess Bride fan! Great movie."

_I know, right? _

Jethro tilted his head. "I don't remember that one… when did you see it?"

_I bought it for her after you left on that last deployment, Jethro. We watched it several times. _Shannon's voice had a contented quality to it that Tony couldn't remember hearing before.

"I've got it on DVD, Jeth… we can watch it sometime."

Jethro nodded, his eyes scanning the room again. "Kelly?"

_Yeah, Daddy?_

"I'll try not to be sad anymore, but I can't promise anything."

_That's okay, as long as you try. Like when you told me it was okay if I didn't do so well on my math tests, as long I was trying my best. I'm happy, Daddy… happier now that I know I can come see you sometimes. I can, right, Mom?_

_Of course. But you have to ask me first, and let me check that it's a good time. _

'_Cause Tony and Daddy might be doing things you don't want me to know about unless I'm older, right? _Kelly sounded amused and just a bit smug.

_Kelly! Hush._

"Hey, Kelly," Jethro said, trying desperately to change the subject, "thanks for the fireflies."

_Did you like them? _

"Very much. They're my new favorite bug."

_What was your old favorite? _

Jethro ducked his head and laughed. "Well, you've got me there… not sure I had one."

_I love you, Daddy._ Kelly's voice was starting to fade a bit.

Jethro sat up straighter. "I love you too, Kelly. And your mom."

_I know. I think I have to go back now… I'm getting tired. But I'll visit again soon, okay?_

"I'm counting on it."

_Just don't be sad anymore…_

Jethro blinked rapidly as the sense of Kelly's presence faded. "Shannon?! She's okay, right?"

_She's fine, Jethro. Being on this side takes some getting used to. She'll get her strength back on the other side, and it'll get a little easier each time._

"It's only her second time, right?" Tony asked, bracing himself.

Jethro turned to look at him. "What – second time?"

Shannon was silent for a moment. _Consider yourself head-slapped, Tony. Hard._

Tony nodded. "Got it. But Shannon, I think we need to stop with the secrets, don't you?"

There was a long pause, then Shannon spoke again. _I guess you're right,_ she said ruefully. _You were right about this, after all. Jethro… Kelly was here once before, a long time ago. You still thought I was part of your imagination, and we thought you'd feel better if you could hear her too… but you didn't. Your reaction… well, let's just say it's why Kelly hasn't been to see you sooner._

"I don't remember…"

_No, I wouldn't expect you to. Thank Tony for this… I was afraid to let her try again, but Tony insisted you could handle it._

Jethro's arm went around Tony's waist and pulled him closer. "Shan… thank you for listening to him.'

_Thank Tony for being persuasive. And Kelly for being a lot wiser than I am. _

"Uh, Shannon?"

_Yes, Tony?_

"What was that Kelly said about soul mates?"

Shannon laughed. _Just think of us all as one big happy family. And don't worry… soul mates exist in many different forms._ She was silent for a moment. _I should go… you two need to talk, and I should help Kelly get her strength back… love you both._

She was gone then, and Tony turned to look at Jethro, who was staring straight ahead, still gripping Tony's hand. "Jeth?"

A tear escaped, tracking its way down Jethro's face. It was followed by another, and Tony was startled to feel Jethro's hand begin to tremble in his own. "Tell me you're alright, Jeth. Tell me this wasn't a mistake."

Jethro lowered his head for a moment, his breath hitching, then suddenly turned and pulled Tony into his arms, burying his face against Tony's neck while he let out all the pent up emotion in heart-wrenching sobs. Tony's own eyes filled with moisture, his jaw clenching until he heard Jethro manage the words 'thank you' among the tears, at which point he let his forehead rest against Jethro's shoulder and held on tight.

_Author's note: The conversation Shannon had with Kelly before talking with Jethro and Tony will be posted as chapter 5 of my Missing Scenes from the FIOverse in a few days._


	13. Chapter 13

_This one picks up right where the last chapter left off. Some of the sequence of events derived from the flashbacks in Hiatus may be off… I should have watched the episodes again first, but I always have a hard time with those so I decided to just go with it. There are some spoilers from those episodes. There's also a tiny reference to the first story in this series (and my first NCIS fanfic), Post Obsession Conversation, as well as one to a moment in Second Law._

_Reminder that this series went AU after the seventh season episode Obsession, before Gibbs' encounter with the Reynosa cartel – so that hasn't happened in this 'verse._

_Probably one or two chapters left in this story._

13: Aftermath

**Recovery**

_Jethro's crying. Jethro's_ crying. _What the hell do I do? Damn it, did I screw up? Was Shannon right? Maybe this was a bad idea. No, Jethro seemed so happy to be talking to Kelly again. I think. He said thank you, right? But Jethro doesn't cry – ever. Wait… Gibbs doesn't cry. Jeth is different at home. Maybe this is okay? How can it be okay? The man's a rock… maybe that's why he's crying now, 'cause he's locked it all up for such a long time. Damn it, I wish I knew how to help him. _

Tony just kept his eyes closed and hung on to his lover as tightly as he could, running the conversation with Shannon and Kelly through his mind, remembering the incredulous and sad and gentle and happy expressions on Jethro's face throughout.

Jethro's arms tightened around Tony, and he seemed to be getting his emotions under control. The sobs were quieting and turning into sniffles and throat-clearing. He pulled back a little, reaching up to rub his eyes and sort of surreptitiously wipe his nose on his sleeve.

"Thanks, Tony… for everything." His voice was hoarse and gruff.

"You alright, Jeth?"

Jethro nodded. "Yeah… I think so. Hell of a shock."

"I thought… I wanted..." Tony hesitated, trying to put it all into words.

Jethro reached around and gripped Tony's neck. "I mean it. _Thank you._ Hearing Kelly's voice again…"

Tony met Jethro's eyes and nodded slowly. "Okay. You're welcome. I just… it seemed like the right time, like you needed this, you know?"

"Yeah." Jethro nodded and pulled away a bit more, keeping Tony's hand firmly in his. He ran his hand through his hair and looked around the basement with red-rimmed and slightly wet eyes. "I talked to Shannon once, while you were in Seattle… asked why Kelly wasn't talking to me too. She said they were worried I wouldn't handle it well – but she never told me they'd tried."

Tony squeezed Jethro's hand. "She told me about it when I was trying to convince her to let it happen. Said you were talking with her, but you thought you were imagining the conversations. Said you lost it – scared them both pretty badly." He hesitated, then suddenly pulled his startled lover into a hug. "Shannon… she told me the first time she crossed back over, you were on a beach holding a gun pointed at your head."

Jethro stiffened, then relaxed and let go of Tony's hand to wrap his arms around the younger man. "That wasn't long after I visited their graves the first time. Couldn't… couldn't see a future without them, not at the time. Wouldn't do that now, Tony, not ever."

"I know. But would you have done it then, if she hadn't shown up?"

There was a long pause, then Jethro shrugged, turning his face into Tony's neck. "I don't know." His voice was muffled. "Maybe, maybe not. I wasn't thinking clearly then. I remember… feeling as if she was right there, and then I was crying for the first time since I'd gotten back home – maybe that helped, I don't know. I remember finally getting up off that beach, packing away the gun, and heading back home. The next day I tracked down the agent in charge of the investigation."

"Mike Franks."

"Yeah."

"He left you the information you needed to track down their killer… and you took him out, didn't you? Guy by the name of Hernandez."

Jethro pulled back and looked at Tony. "How…?"

Tony sighed. "When you were in that damn coma… and we found out about Shannon and Kelly. I stayed late, multitasked, did some research while Ziva went to the hospital to try to jog your memory… read about his connection to the case, how he died. Figured it was too much to be coincidence."

"You've known all this time." Jethro stared at him. "You're okay with it?"

"I am. Jeth… I don't think anyone knows for sure what they'd do in that situation until they're in it. Easy to point fingers and judge… but they were your family, and you were a Marine – it was probably the only thing that made any sense at the time." Tony smiled slightly. "If I'd known you then, I'd have wanted to go with you, be on your six. I don't know if I'd have tried to talk you out of it… but if I had, and you didn't listen, I'd have backed you up."

Jethro's eyes searched Tony's, and he nodded. "Don't know if I'd have let you," he said, with a wry smile.

Tony grinned. "I'd have tracked you down."

"You didn't when I took off for Mexico."

Tony's eyebrows rose. "You left me in charge. Couldn't leave the team. But I knew where you were, and I got updates from Franks every so often, made sure you were okay. Played dumb about it with the team most of the time."

Jethro was quiet, absently stroking Tony's thigh while he considered everything. Tony waited, his eyes on Jethro's face, until Jethro tuned to look at him and reached up to rest his palm against Tony's cheek.

"Don't know what I've done to deserve you," Jethro said quietly.

Tony's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he grinned. "Amazing sex?"

Jethro chuckled and shook his head. "That must be it." He dropped his hand and looked around the room. He whispered Kelly's name, so quietly Tony almost couldn't hear it. Then he stood suddenly. "Sink needs fixing," he commented, holding out a hand for Tony to take and pulling him up off the couch.

Tony nodded slowly, recognizing Jethro's need to regroup. "I'll get back to my book, unless you want some help."

"Nah, I got it."

Tony followed him up the stairs, glancing back down at the basement for a moment before switching off the light.

**Declarations**

Jethro occupied himself with a variety of odd jobs for the rest of the day. Tony mostly focused on his book, or watched a movie, keeping a casual eye on his partner all the while. Jethro was clearly locked away in his own head, but his body language was relaxed, so Tony didn't worry too much. He ordered some take out from the local diner, bringing it upstairs to where Jethro was working on some shelves in the closets, squeezing his shoulder and dropping a kiss on his head, getting a smile in response.

It was close to 10 p.m. when Jethro leaned in the entry to the living room where Tony was reading. "Come to bed?"

Tony smiled and marked his place in the book. "Of course."

They took turns in the bathroom, finally ending up in bed with the night stand lamps on. Tony curled on his side to watch Jethro, who lay on his back looking up at the ceiling for a few minutes. Finally, Tony broke the silence.

"I wasn't entirely truthful this morning, you know."

Jethro turned on his side to face him, looking at him curiously.

"When you woke up 'cause I was tense, I said I was thinking about my dad. I was actually wondering if Shannon was going to let Kelly talk to you. Didn't want to say anything in case she wasn't ready."

Jethro reached out and caressed Tony's face. "I can understand that. Probably was best to surprise me with it." He leaned in and kissed Tony lightly on the lips. "When did you talk to her about it?"

"Last night, when I went down to the basement."

"That's why you closed the door."

"Yup. Been thinking about it a lot longer than that, though. Probably since Seattle, when you told me about the fireflies and the elves and all. Everything that happened this past week with my dad and the team just showed me how important it was to be more open, you know?"

Jethro nodded. "Don't know if I can ever express what it means to me to be able to talk to my girl again." His voice caught a bit.

Tony scooted forward a bit and pulled Jethro into his arms. "I can only imagine." He held the older man loosely, rubbing his back and running his fingers through Jethro's hair until he felt him relax again. "Wish I'd been there for you back then."

Jethro sighed. "Doubt I'd have let you help me. I wouldn't talk to anyone about the girls after I came back from Mexico that first time. Mike knew, tried to talk about them once or twice, but I wouldn't go there. Couldn't."

Tony nodded. "I get that."

They lay there quietly, thinking, touching gently, until Jethro pulled back a bit and looked at Tony. "So… you and Shannon, huh? Soul mates?"

Tony's eyes widened. "Um, her word, not mine! She's – like a sister to me, or something."

Jethro's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. "I seem to recall a certain conversation in which you claimed platonic soul mates wouldn't work for you."

"Jethro!" Tony whined. "That was months ago! Before we got together. Before I knew Shannon was really here, or there, or wherever she is! I would never, ever –"

Jethro laughed and moved in, kissing Tony lips to quiet him down. "I know. I'm teasing, Tony." He rubbed Tony's arm soothingly, grinning at the little pout on his lover's lips. "I'm glad you two are getting close."

Tony looked at him searchingly, then shot him a tentative smile. "It's nice, being a part of this family."

"We'll figure it all out as we go along," Jethro said quietly. "I'm not in a rush to join them on the other side, but it's nice to know we'll all be together some day."

Tony went to speak, but then stopped. Jethro chucked him under the chin. "Whatever's on your mind, say it."

"You sure you want me there, at that point? I mean, they're your girls –"

Jethro cut him off with a head slap. "Don't go there, Tony." He sat up a bit, looking at his partner seriously. "What makes you think you're not just as important to me?" Tony stared at him, and Jethro shook his head. "Listen to me. I wouldn't want to be there without you. Got that?"

Tony blinked, then cleared his throat. "Yeah," he replied huskily. "I got it."

"Good," Jethro murmured, moving in for a kiss.

One kiss became several, lips and tongues melding and caressing. Jethro moved to push Tony back into the mattress, but Tony resisted, pushing back until Jethro was on his back and looking up at his lover.

"You've been taking care of me a lot the past few days. Let me return the favor."

Jethro nodded, relaxing into the bed as Tony went on an extended journey of rediscovery. Fingers stroked, lips followed, and Jethro was soon lost in a sea of pleasure as Tony did everything he could to make Jethro feel loved. The sheets were flung back to give Tony easier access; he moved Jethro from his back to his side to his stomach, then back again, sending his lover into a haze of pleasure. He kept him there with slow, steady movements, gradually increasing his own passion as well as Jethro's, until neither man was quite sure exactly where one ended and the other began.

The only sounds were low moans and quiet gasps of pleasure. There were no words until Tony's cock slowly filled Jethro's ass, at which point Jethro was so far gone it was all he could do to call out Tony's name. Tony kept the pace slow, his body covering Jethro's, his face buried in Jethro's neck. Jethro's hands were on Tony's ass cheeks, holding on as Tony's hips moved rhythmically. One of Tony's hands was tangled in Jethro's hair; the other was caught between their bodies, wrapped around Jethro's cock but unable to move except to run the tips of his fingers over the head.

The room was full of the sound of their breathing as Tony's thrusts became a bit more urgent. He held his position a little longer each time he filled Jethro as much as possible, withdrawing and moving back in more and more quickly and forcefully in between those moments of stillness. Jethro couldn't think, couldn't really move, straining for that climax that was just out of reach until suddenly Tony broke the pace, his hips moving frantically, crying out as his body shook with his orgasm, bringing Jethro right along with him.

They lay there for several minutes, recovering slowly, until Tony lifted his head and kissed Jethro, running his tongue along Jethro's lips. The kissing continued for a while, until Tony finally pulled back and opened his eyes to see Jethro looking back at him, tears moving down his face. It wasn't until Jethro reached up and wiped the same from Tony's eyes that he realized he was crying too.

Jethro's lips quirked with a wry smile, and Tony followed suit. "Family reunions, huh?"

Jethro laughed quietly, sniffed a bit, then pulled Tony closer. They fell asleep like that, still joined, with the lights on.


End file.
